20G BAITS FOR ROACH. 



clirysalicls, and it lias liappeDed to ino 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 bm-y 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 from 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 Koach." 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. Mr. 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. R. n.^Fhliing 

 Gazette. 



