60 ANGLING FOE COARSE PISH. 



previous day, then put the rod together, join the tackle to the 

 running line, catch the hook near the butt, and by winding up 

 the reel strain the line tight. If the angler is living near the 

 water, he will then have his tackle all ready for use on the 

 morrow ; and even if he lives at a distance, he will find that the 

 coiling of the gut for an hour or so in the morning, during the 

 journey, will hardly afPect its straightness, and that upon being 

 wetted it will come straight in a few minutes. When no shot 

 are on the line, I much prefer horsehair to gut. Self -cocking 

 float tackle should always be tried in still water when the roach 

 are shy, and not easily taken by other methods. 



If the angler is fishing with float tackle, he will want a long, 

 light rod, unless the fish lie close to the shore ; but he can, if he 

 prefer it, use a short rod, and cast out the tackle in the Notting- 

 ham style (see page 45). The running line and the rest of the 

 tackle should be the same as that already described. Legering 

 for roach (see page 52) is sometimes done in lakes, but unless 

 the fish lie a long distance from the shore, I think float tackle 

 is usually to be preferred. If a leger is used, the lead should 

 be as small as the angler can conveniently cast out, and the line 

 a di'essed one, if long casts have to be made. For short casts, 

 an undressed line can be used if worked after the fashion shown 

 on page 45, in Fig. 20. Of course, long casts can be made off 

 the reel; but this involves a heavier lead than is desirable, unless 

 the method of squeezing a small lump of stiff ground-bait 

 on to the line near the hook, is adopted. This gives the neces- 

 sary weight for casting either light leger or float tackle. 



The best all-round bait for pond roach is paste — white, red, 

 or yellow* — but in some waters other baits will be found better. 

 "Wasp grubs are very killing at times, particularly if a few 

 are mixed up with the ground-bait, and the principle, which 

 I regard as being so important, of having the ground-bait 

 of the same character as the hook-bait, but coarser, is thus 

 carried out. Redworms and brandlings sometimes bring a 

 few large roach to basket, and gentles are usually taking, 

 especially in winter. For a general ground-bait there is 



* Coloured with the ordinary paint of commerce, in powder. 



