54 



THE ROACH. 



indeed, I have seen some Lea rods that were as much in 

 diameter as the angler could nicely clasp. The taper, how- 

 ever, to the fine point has to be true and accurate to a re- 

 markable degree, with no suspicion of whippiness about it. 

 A good Lea roach pole is a work of art, the initial cost of 

 which is rather a serio'us item to a working man angler. The 

 plan adopted is mostly tight-line fishing, with the float about 

 eighteen inches from the tip of the rod. Three or four yards 

 of very fine gut or horsehair is employed as a line, and the 

 hook is the usual crystal pattern and size. A peculiar plan 

 of baiting is to use a pill of white paste on the point of the 

 hook, not much larger than a No. 4 shot, and put round it a 

 bit of bread and bran ground bait, the size of a hazel nut. 

 The stream: washes off this ground bait, and soon exposes the 

 white morsel on the point. It is a very deadly plan, and 

 some of the very largest roach have fallen victims to it. 



I had intended in this chapter giving a few hints as to 

 fishing for roach on the surface; but the next chapter on 

 rudd and rudd fishing goes so fully into the subject that it 

 would be a waste of space tO' repeat it, the flies and the 

 method of using them, for the rudd being the same as for 

 roach. 



