CHAPTER IT. 

 THE ROACH (continued). 



ROACH FISHING IN STILL WATER. 

 (on roach BITES AND THE OUTFIT). 



Choosing a Roach Rod— An Ouse pattern — Th^ Author's Roach Rod 

 — A bit of sound advice — Rod-rings — The Reel and Line — Gut Lines 

 and Gut Hooks— Roach Floats— What is a Roach bite ?—A born Roacher 

 — Sucking in, and blowing out, the Bait — Striking the fish — "Missed 

 him" — The reason why — The Bleak nuisance — Slow v. quick sinking 

 baits — Those small tormenters. 



When the young tyro, or even the would-be roach fisher- 

 man of mature years, walks into a tackle dealer's shop for 

 the purpose of choosing his rod, in nine cases out of ten 

 he selects one that is made up of a number of short joints, 

 say from two to three feet long each, because his first con- 

 sideration is that it is nice and handy to carry about, and 

 also he perhaps considers that it can be carried out of sight 

 under his coat, as if he were ashamed of his occupation. 

 Now this portability is the only good feature these short- 

 jointed rods possess ; when the angler has to travel by train 

 to his sport, his rod can be packed up in a small compass, 

 without being a nuisance to any of his fellow-passengers, 

 and he will not be in danger when boarding a railway car- 

 riage of poking one end of it into the eye of somebody sit- 

 ting inside, or doubling up another who happens to be stand- 

 ing on the platform behind himi by a blow in the stomach 

 with the butt end, as he would be if each joint \vas six or 

 seven feet long. But here the practical usefulness of these 

 many-jointed rods cease ; they are not a success when oper- 

 ating against the shy old roach of these deep still waters, 



