206 



BAITS FOR ROACH. 



chrjsalicls, and it lias happened to me more than once 

 to find all my gentles had become blue-bottles, which 

 of course were useless. The only way to keep gentles 

 from turning is to bury them in pickle bottles in the 

 ground. When there are no gentles to be had I recom- 

 mend boiled wheat. Gently boil the wheat over a slow 

 fire until it gives out a jelly, the kernels will have 

 cracked down one side ; into the top of this crack insert 

 the hook.''' 



The tackle we used was of the very finest. A single 

 hair is very much better than the finest drawn gut ; the 

 best hair for roach fishing known is the long peculiar 

 coloured hair fi'om the tails of Her Majesty's cream- 

 coloured state coach horses. 



There are many works written especially on roach 

 and roach fishing, and I especially recommend the 

 work of Mr. Greville Fennell, the well-known authority 

 on angling matters, published by Longman, Green, and 

 Co., London, " The Book of the Eoach." The largest 

 roach seldom exceeds 21bs. : I have had roach brought 

 to me heavier than this. In some cases they were 

 hybrids; in one case, certainly, the fish was simply a 

 bream. 



The roach is subject to a curious disease which shows 

 itself in numerous black moss-like spots growing on its 

 scales. ]\Ir. Henry Lee has examined these micro- 

 scopically, and reports that this appearance is caused 

 by an abnormal condition of the pigment cells, and the 

 formation of a melanoid cancerous growth. 



* See able article, " The Old Eoach Hole," by A. K. R., Fishing 

 Gazette. 



