ROE-FISHING. 41 



We shall now only briefly notice ROE-FISHING 

 which many sensible men regard as no better than 

 poaching. It has, however, its charms ; and these 

 chiefly, that it is very slaughterous, and that it is 

 available at times when no other kind of angling is 

 possible or worth trying. Piscator has then no choice 

 between fly, worm, and minnow, his alternatives 

 being simply fishing with roe or staying at home. No 

 wonder, in such desperate case, that it is oftener re- 

 sorted too than, all things considered, may be quite 

 justifiable. The months for roe-fishing are from 

 October to the middle of March, when salmon are 

 spawning in the rivers, and trout are on the out- 

 look for stray particles of roe from the " redds. " 

 Trout are then in bad condition ; but they are very 

 hungry and easily taken. Roe-fishing is most effective 

 just after the turn of a flood, when the waters are still 

 high and muddy; in clear water it is " no use." With 

 a stiff one-handed rod, a gut line two yards in length, 

 made of the strongest gut, no matter how coarse, and 

 a pot of roe, the angler must betake himself to the 

 water-side when the river is in the state we have de- 

 scribed, choosing a steady stream about three or four 

 feet deep, where, according to his judgment, trout are 

 likely to have been driven by the flood. If he find 

 such a stream just leading into a long pool, he may 

 expect trouts. Mr. Stoddart says it is unnecessary to 

 bait the stream, as some anglers do; but our experience 

 is opposed to this view. On one occasion we filled our 

 creel three times in an afternoon by roe-fishing, and 

 attributed the success to our having a fresh u salmon- 

 belly," a handful or two of ova from which we occa- 



