Roach and our canals
Part of the carp family, the roach is a widespread freshwater fish found in England, but rarer in Wales and Scotland. They're found in canals, lakes and slow-flowing rivers.
The charity making life better by water
Making life better by water
With their silver bodies and distinctive fins, roach are the most abundant species in our canals and form a very important part of its ecosystem.
Scientific name | Rutilus rutilus |
Family | Cyprinidae |
Diet | Insect larvae, snails and crustaceans |
Predators | Predatory fish, cormorants and heron |
Size | Up to 25cm |
Weight | 15-250g (4lb 3oz) |
British record | 1.9kg |
Lifespan | 7-12 years |
Part of the carp family, the roach is a widespread freshwater fish found in England, but rarer in Wales and Scotland. They're found in canals, lakes and slow-flowing rivers.
Roach are small-medium sized fish that are silver in colour with red eyes and pelvic fins below the front rays of the dorsal fin.
The roach can be confused with rudd. The easiest way to tell a roach from a rudd is that the latter has a protruding upturned bottom lip. Roach will often breed with bream, producing unfertile roach-bream hybrids.
Roach spawn between April and June, although this can change depending on water temperature.
They breed in shallow water on a stony bottom or over dense submerged weed, generally returning to the same place each year. In canals, offside vegetation is a particularly important spawning substrate.
Females can lay up to 100,000 eggs.
The roach is a very adaptable fish, found large fresh water, like lakes, big ponds and canals. They're present in all of our canals and rivers, with the exception of the Swansea Canal.
As with all species, there is an ever-present threat of pollution or poor water quality. Vandalism or open lock paddles draining pounds can also put roach and other fish species at risk.
When zander are present, they primarily prey on smaller, younger roach. This allows the surviving roach to grow larger because there's less competition for food among the reduced population. The exact opposite of the situation in canals without zander. The roach population tends to be larger in number but dominated by smaller individuals.
To catch roach successfully, use a fine fishing line and a small hook (size 20 or 22). The best baits for roach include pinkies, squatts, casters, bread punch, and hemp. To encourage the shoal to feed confidently, introduce a steady stream of loose feed – adding small amounts regularly works best.
While you can catch roach near the towpath bank, your chances improve significantly if you fish in the boat channel or far bank.
Enter a town or postcode into our fishery search tool to find good local fishing spots
Last Edited: 27 January 2025
Sign up to our monthly newsletter and be the first to hear about campaigns, upcoming events and fundraising inspiration