THE ROACH. 33 



above the surface : the shot should be about a foot 

 from the hook, a single one being affixed three 

 inches above it to keep it in its proper place. 

 The object of the powerful, well-balanced float with 

 a quantity of shot is to insure the rapid sinking of 

 the bait, so as to get the full advantage of the 

 swim, and at the same time to indicate the slightest 

 possible bite. The line after each swim should be 

 brought back quite close to the gunwale of the 

 boat, and the bait occasionally examined to see 

 that it has not become dead and sodden. 



The strike must be instantaneous, or you will 

 never catch your fish ; and it is well, whether you 

 observe a bite or not, invariably to strike at the end 

 of your swim, as a fish may be, and frequently is, 

 at that moment testing the quality of your bait, 

 which he is certain to eject, with that marvellous 

 and unexplained power which all fish possess, some 

 twelve inches from him, the moment he becomes 

 aware that there is something unwholesome in the 

 just-coveted dainty. The line as well as the rod 

 must be much longer than for the gudgeon, the 

 roach being the shyer fish, and not inclined to feed 

 so near the boat ; but it is far more necessary to 

 keep your line " in hand," as it were, not tight, but 

 well out of the water, and ready for a short, sharp 

 strike at any moment. The " whisk " made by the 



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