OBSERVATIONS OF ROACH AND DACE 



of Roach are now scattered in many rivers, but I think not in 

 the Thames, which I believe affords the largest and fattest in 

 this nation, especially below London-bridge : the Roach is a 

 leather-mouthed fish, and has a kind of saw-like teeth in his 

 throat. And lastly, let me tell you, the Roach makes an Angler 

 excellent sport, especially the great Roaches about London, 

 where I think there be the best Roach-Anglers, and I think 

 the best Trout-Anglers be in Derbyshire, for the waters there 

 are clear to an extremity. 



Next, let me tell you, you shall fish for this Roach 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 he 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 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 

 labour, 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, cunning, goodness, 

 and usually in size. And therefore take this general direction 

 for some other baits which may concern you to take notice of. 

 They will bite almost at any fly, but especially at Ant-flies ; 

 concerning which, take this direction, for it is very good. 



Take the blackish Ant-fly out of the Mole-hill or Ant-hill, 

 in which place you shall find them in the month of June, or if 

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