SHYNESS OF THE ROACH. 23 



exceed two pounds in weight in any of the waters about 

 London. They have been taken of three pounds weight. One 

 was taken of about that weight in the Ouse some two years 

 since, and several have been taken since then approaching 

 that weight elsewhere. Pennant mentions one of five 

 pounds ; but a roach of two-and-a-half pounds would be held 

 by any London angler and they are the chief and best roach- 

 fishers to be a very unusual prize ; for what the trout is 

 to the country gentleman the roach is to the Londoner ; and 

 the Thames, Lea, and Colne are eagerly sought by shoals of 

 roach-fishers every day in the week ; but in spite of this, after 

 Christmas frosts and ice, there are large roach, and plenty of 

 them, on any favourable day to be taken in all parts of the 

 Thames ; they lie in the weeds all the summer and autumn, 

 and never come out to feed in the open till the weeds are 

 gone altogether. Indeed, fishing for big roach is the best in 

 the year ; and I am of opinion that roach-fishing could on 

 the Thames be extended through March not only without 

 harm but with advantage. I am not in possession of any 

 actual facts proven by experiment as regards the rate of 

 growth of the roach, but I should conceive a half-pound 

 roach, under a fair proportion of feeding, &c., to be a fourth 

 year's fish ; and, in the interests of angling, none but half- 

 pound fish or thereabouts should be taken. Roach-fishing 

 is very pretty sport, requiring the exercise of much skill, 

 patience, quickness of apprehension, and ingenuity, com- 

 bined with a thorough knowledge of the habits of the fish. 

 No greater mistake can be made than to fancy the roach is 

 a simple fish. When he is half-starved, and seldom fished 

 for, he is no doubt easy to capture. When about to spawn 

 or just spent, he loses much of his caution and shyness ; 

 but when he is well fed, in high condition, and sees many 

 rods, he becomes amazingly shy of the hook. I am the 

 tenant of a portion of a river in which thousands of splen- 

 did roach may be seen in great shoals. It was a long time 



