46 



THE ROACH. 



where }ou sit; the float and tackle are now, of coarse, in 

 a slanting direction, and this is why I recomimended the lio:'t 

 to bfi put deeper than the swimi. A bite can very easily 

 be seen, as even the smallest nibble when tackle is held 

 back like this will result in the float being drawn under the 

 water, when an instant strike is imperative. Sometimes 

 the float can be held two yards only away from the rod 

 point, and then again it may be five or six yards ; and Uy 

 every foot between those two distances, sometimes l)oldii;g 

 it for a few minutes in one place, then in another, i-ntil the 

 whole of that place is carefully fished over, when the angler 

 can shift his position a few yards lower down stream, and 

 resume operations in a fresh swim. Almost any bait ^v*ll 

 do for this style — worms, gentles, wasp-grubs, wheat, malt,, 

 and plain and coloured' pastes ; and for groundbait, a few 

 hand&ful of the bread and bran, or a hundred or two coarse 

 lobworms clipped up small, or a tin of rough gentles, ac- 

 cording to the hook bait used. Some men when usmg 

 paste for this style of fishing, which, I may say, is about a^^ 

 good as anything that can be tried., especially in clear water 

 and a very moderate current, have a few pieces of dry 

 tread as groundbait; this they keep constantly chewing, 

 and throwing in in small bits. 



And now, having looked at most of the methods of stream 

 fishing for roach, we will turn tO' the question of how the 

 rod and line should be manipulated in casting out the bait 

 in the Nottingham style. To' fish a stream properly re- 

 quires, as before hinted, running tackle and some little prac- 

 tice before it can be easily accomplished ; but when once 

 mastered, it is as easy as getting your lunch. We will sup- 

 pose the angler has got his tackle ready, and the depth 

 carefully found, which latter is done, not by throwing in 

 a lump of lead or a plummet, the same as is necessary in 

 very still waters, but by having a few preliminary swims 

 with his shotted tackle. If the float during its passage 

 down the stream keeps bobbing under the surface, you may 

 know that the hook and some of the shots are trailing along 

 the bottom, and that youi are too deep; if, on the other 

 hand, the float travels all the way down the swim) in a per- 

 fectly natural manner without stoppage or bobbing under, 



