CHAP. XVII. THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 



in Winter, with paste or gentles; in April, with worms 

 or cadis ; in the very hot months, with little white 

 snails ; or, with flies under water, for lie seldom takes 

 them at the top, though the Dace will. In many of 

 the hot months, Roaches may also be caught thus : 

 take a May-fly, or ant-fly, sink him with a little lead 

 to the bottom near to the piles, or posts, of a bridge; 

 or near to any posts of a wear ; I mean, any deep place 

 where Roaches lie quietly and, then, pull your fly up 

 very leisurely ; and, usually, a Roach will follow your 

 bait up to the very top of the water, and gaze on it 

 there, and run at it and take it, lest the fly should fly 

 away from him . 



I have seen this done at Windsor and Henley-bridge, 

 and great store of Roach taken, and, sometimes, a 

 Dace or Chub. And in August, you may fish for them 

 with a paste made only of the crumbs of bread, which 

 should be of pure fine manchet ; and that paste must 

 be so tempered, betwixt your hands, till it be, both soft 

 and tough, too: a very little water, and time and la- 

 bour, and clean hands, will make it a most excellent 

 paste: But when you fish with it, you must have a 

 small hook, a quick eye, and a nimble hand ; or, the 

 bait is lost, and the fish, too, if one may lose that which 

 he never had : With this paste, you may, as I said, 

 take both the Roach, and the Dace or Dare : 



for they be much of a kind ; in matter of feeding^ 



