20 



A BOOK ON ANGLING 



your gut be of the finest, and delicately stained of a pale 

 olive-green weed colour, your shot be as unobtrusive, and 

 the float as light as possible. Some prefer single hair, and 

 I do not object to it if they do prefer it ; but I think it should 

 be used where you only expect to take roach, as in dull streams 

 and eddies, or when bank-fishing. In a sharp stream, and 

 from a punt, or where you may expect barbel, I do not re- 

 commend it. It may show sport, but to waste half an hour 

 over a one-pound barbel, when the roach are well on the 

 feed, does not suit my views ; while a small fish will often 

 snap the hair in the strike when aided by the length of line, 

 the weight of tackle, and a sharp stream. 



The best hook-baits for roach are, as I have intimated, 

 first, maggots, or gentles as they are more commonly called 

 by metropolitan anglers. Those blown on bullock's liver, 

 which are shiny and yellow, are the best by far. When using 

 them, the roach, not being hungry, often want a little coaxing 

 or variety. When you think this is the case, instead of two 

 gentles use one, and point your hook with a chrysalis. But 

 you must strike lightly when fishing with chrysalis, or you 

 will have to bait afresh every swim. It will frequently happen, 

 too, when fishing with gentles, that the roach are shy, and 

 will keep on biting and nibbling, and a scene of pricking, 

 losing, scratching, and abortive striking takes place, in which 

 your two gentles become time after time mere transparent 

 skins and your fish do not come to hand. When this is the 

 case/try a small No. n hook, just taking enough of the skin 

 on the hook to attach the gentle to the hook without killing 

 it (hook on by the thick skin at the butt or thick end of the 

 gentle), and then let it down the swim twirling about alive, 

 and you will often get ten or a dozen good fish if you do not 

 lose one or two before they find out their mistake ; perhaps 

 then they will take to pulling your gentle off, or, as before, 

 squeezing out the intestines, carefully avoiding the hook 

 meanwhile. Then must you string the gentle on to the hook 

 bodily, passing the hook into the thick end, and the point 

 coming out at the small end or head, and thus you may 

 delude a few more. Oft-times, too, when they find that the 

 ground-bait is rather a dangerous neighbourhood, or when 

 perhaps they may see the punt too clearly, they will remain 

 below the ground-bait, catching the atoms as they sail by. 

 The best fish nearly always do this, and rest quite at the end 

 of the swim. Then cast your ground-bait a^ood way off down 



