A major part of the diet of pike in most venues, it is no wonder that roach are such a popular bait with predator anglers. We freeze our roach immediately to keep them in super-fresh condition.
Naturally quite buoyant we recommend testing roach in the margins before casting out to ensure that they sink. If they float simply pierce the swimbladder with a baiting needle and squeeze out the air until the bait just sinks. A slow sinking presentation really is ideal and will ensure that the bait sits on top of any weed and is very easy for the pike to pick up.
Roach are also a great choice for the zander angler, and whilst smaller baits are more the norm, these large roach have accounted for some big zander over the years and will certainly sort out the bigger fish if you are being plagued by schoolies.