CHAPTER II. 



DACE AND CHUB. 



DACE (Leuciscus vulgaris). 



DACE spawn in April and May, 

 and are in condition about Sep- 

 tember. Compared with roach, 

 they are thinner in proportion to 

 their length and of a bright silvery 

 colour. It is the ambition of 

 every angler to secure a pound- 

 weight specimen a rare achieve- 

 ment, as they have an aggravating 

 way of falling short by a couple 

 of ounces. Small chub resemble 

 them so much in shape and ap- 

 pearance that the tyro's dream of 

 having captured a unique speci- 

 men is often rudely shattered by 

 an older hand pointing to the pink 

 anal fin, which in the dace is 

 colourless. They mix freely with 

 roach, and are taken on the bait 

 intended for the latter. They are 

 a favourite bonne bouche of jack, 

 and as the angler goes to the river 

 armed with a shorter rod for live- 

 baiting, he will no doubt be anxious 

 to add a few of them to his can. 

 The tactics are somewhat different 

 from those followed by the roach 

 angler proper. A light and rapid 

 swim is chosen, all the better if it 

 is flanked by bushes that over- 

 shadow the bank, and dip into the 

 stream. 



Dace feed on the washed-up 

 food from these gravelly beds. If 

 there is a ford in the river, they 

 are sure to congregate near it on 

 the alert for the spoil stirred up by 

 the traffic. The best dace prob- 

 ably lie in the shade of the bank, 

 emerging now and again in quest 

 of food. A little ground bait 

 judiciously placed will draw them. 

 It should be looser than that used 



for roach, so as to break up 

 quickly, and disperse all over the 

 swim. Less bread and more 

 bran will answer the purpose. 

 Dace are not great feeders, and a 

 margin of appetite should be left 

 for the bait to be subsequently 

 proffered. This point is some- 

 times overlooked by anglers, too 

 anxious to get the fish on the 

 feed. 



The best baits are gentles and 

 worms, mounted on a roach rod 

 and tackle. The bait that kills 

 best is sunk deeply enough to 

 touch the bottom, instead of drift- 

 ing a few inches from it, as in the 

 case of roach fishing. I have 

 known two anglers fishing the 

 same pool, one of whom took dace 

 after dace by this plan, whilst the 

 other, fishing in the orthodox way, 

 caught roach only. To avoid too 

 much slack and consequent miss- 

 ing, when the strike is due a good 

 plan is to hold the float back a 

 little, so as to give the bait time 

 to drift forward. Dace bite 

 sharply, pulling the float well 

 down ; the strike should be short 

 and quick, making allowance for 

 the tackle, which cannot be too 

 fine. If a running line is used, 

 it is well to have as little slack as 

 possible. This can be arranged 

 by fixing a small piece of wood in 

 a loop on the line between the float 

 and the top ring of the rod. The 

 reel is winched round until the 

 wedge jams, which gives all the 

 advantages of tight lining and 

 leaves the reel free to run if 

 needed. 



Dace rise well to the fly. Where 

 the river is overhung with trees 



