chap, xvn.] THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 



219 



with a little lead to the bottom near to the piles 

 or posts of a bridge, or near to any posts of a wear, 

 I mean any deep place where Roaches lie quietly, 

 and then pull your fly up very leisurely, and usually 

 a Roach will follow your bait to the very top of the 

 water and gaze on it there, and run at it and take 

 it lest the fly should fly away from him. 



I have seen this done at Windsor and Henley- 

 bridge, and great store of Roach taken ; and some- 

 times a Dace or Cbub. And in August you may fish 

 for them with a paste made only of the crumbs of 

 bread, which should be of pure fine manchet ; and 

 that paste must be so tempered betwixt your hands 

 till it be both soft and tough too : a very little 

 water, and time and labour, and clean hands, will 

 make it a most excellent paste. But when you fish 

 with it, you must have a small hook, a quick eye, 

 and a nimble hand, or the bait is lost and the fish 

 too ; if one may lose that which he never had. 

 With this paste you may, as I said, take both the 

 Roach and the Dace or Dare, 



for they be much of a kind, in matter of feeding, 

 cunning, goodness, and usually in size. And there- 

 fore take this general direction for some other baits 

 which mav concern vou to take notice of. They 



