^j^4 THE ROACH. 



do\vn a sharp stream with a clear, gravelly bottom, a stink- 

 ing ground bait like that can be used mth effect; but in 

 quiet waters a dose of musty bran and mouldy bread would 

 result in driving every roach out of the immediate vicinity. 

 During the early part of the season, say the latter end of 

 June and all July, roach are to be found on the gravelly shal- 

 lows of a stream very often in less than a yard of water. 

 Cad-baits are now a splendid bait to try ; one, if it is a large 

 one, and tw^o if smaller, can be put on the hook and swum^ 

 down any likely place. For this bait, and this season of the 

 year, I recommend the angler to rove about fromi swim ta 

 swim; for ground bait use a few coarse and unscoured 

 gentles, and just sprinkle a few at a time down the swim. 

 Small red worms are sometimes a great favourite with stream 

 roach, especially during the late autumn, or when the water 

 is slightly clouded or flushed mth heavy rains. The ground 

 bait generally used with this hook bait is a few hundred large 

 lob-worms clipped up small and scattered down the swimi a 

 few at a time. I recommend this hook bait tO' trip along 

 just clear of the bottom:, and while fishing use the ground 

 bait very sparingly indeed, not more than six or eight large 

 worms at the outside at once, and they must be cut up into 

 the smjallest fragments and thrown well above the swim, 

 exactly in the track of the float ; and always remember tO' act 

 the dodge recommended in gentle fishing: let the well- 

 scoured worm on the hook go down the streami in hot pursuit 

 of tlie fragments of ground bait immediately they are thrown 

 in. If you use fifty large worms in an hour it will be quite- 

 enough for nearly any roach swim,, and put them, in as 

 already recommended in small doses at intervals of ten 

 minutes or so. Even when a big summer flood comes tear- 

 ing down these streams our roach fisherman is not wholly 

 deprived of his sport, as good fish can very often be picked 

 up fishing the grass slopes. If the angler is well acquainted 

 with the water he probably knows of some quiet dyke end, 

 or a corner away fromi the main current that at ordinary low 

 water time is dry, and which has a level grassy bottom.. 

 During a flood the water may get several feet deep in such a 

 place, and no current to speak of, and the angler will find 

 that in several cases the water is nothing like so thick as it 



