JULY 105 



may be angled for in exactly similar manner," says our 

 most modern and complete text book on coarse fishing. 

 How ? With fly, or leger, with tight line and paste bait 

 gently worked amongst the weeds ; with shotted hook 

 and cad bait, in the Lea fashion, or, indeed, any of the 

 methods advocated by Ffennell ? Why not fish as for 

 chub, which has much more in common with the surface- 

 loving, insect-feeding, upward glancing rudd than has the 

 roach ? One look at the throat teeth of these latter fish 

 will show more than hours of argument. The roach, 

 with his five teeth, one pointed, another cone-shaped, a 

 third chisel-like, a fourth flat-topped, appears at once a 

 fish adapted for all kinds of food, whereas the rudd, with 

 hooked, saw-like dentition set in a double row is mainly 

 fitted for tearing asunder and devouring hard-shelled 

 insects such as are found mainly at the top. 



Again, the mouth of the rudd looks up and that of the 

 roach looks down, and yet again, the back fin of the 

 rudd is placed behind the highest portion of the back, 

 whereas that of the roach is just upon that point. These 

 two differences of structure are full of instruction to the 

 observant mind. The mouth is upturned to catch the 

 sinking food, the fin is set far back to let the fish swim 

 on the top without showing a danger signal to its prey, 

 or a red flag to its enemies. Therefore imitate nature 

 and keep your bait near the surface ; fish fine, cast near 

 weeds, and fish far off. Fish fine, because the fish are 

 easily scared ; cast near weeds, because that is their 

 hiding place ; and fish far off, because the larger 

 specimens are never found close to the fisher. But all 

 this requires special methods and tackle, and with the 

 description of one of these the rest of this chapter will 

 be taken up. 



In some large rivers notably the Bedfordshire Ouse 

 the best fish are taken in deep waters (8ft. and more) 

 by casting over the rising fish twenty yards away. The 

 favourite time is the evening of a hot still day, or the 

 calm which so often follows a summer breeze at the time 

 of sunset. Drop down the river, seated in your boat, 

 and watch for sporting fish. Suddenly, out of the foot 



