194 THE BRITISH ANGLER'S LEXICON. 



but this is very exceptional, the average being about one 

 pound. 



Roach Fishing* is very good sport, especially from a 

 boat on a pond or lake on a calm, warm, summer evening, 

 at which time they take the fly greedily. The fly may be of 

 any description, provided it is small, and the hook and 

 gut fine; the latter must be strong, as a roach of a 

 pound weight is a heavy drag on fine gut. They take 

 the fly best when sunk and drawn towards the surface, 

 w r here they are apt to follow it and hook themselves 

 just as it leaves the water. Their mouths are so small 

 that a disgorger is required to get the hook free, or it 

 may be cut out with a knife ; if forced or twisted with 

 the finger it is apt to get broken. They should be 

 landed with a net. For punt fishing, a nice handy 

 twelve foot rod, a fine braided silk line, three yards of 

 drawn gut, and a No. 5 or 6 crystal hook are most suitable. 

 Roach are more commonly angled for with bait of some 

 kind. A very convenient sort is paste, which can be made 

 of flour damped and worked up with a little cotton wool. 

 This may be dyed a red colour or not, according to fancy. 

 Take a small bit about the size of a pea, and fasten it on the 

 barb of a No. 5 or 6 crystal hook so as to cover it. Adjust 

 the float (which should be a light one), so that the paste is 

 just off the bottom. Keep the hand very steady, and the 

 line taut as possible. As soon as the float denotes the 

 slightest nibble, strike immediately, as they suck the paste 

 off. Fishing with gentles is also a very common practice, 

 using a small hook to hold a gentle or a size larger to hold 

 two, which are put on together and fished in the eddies. In 

 coloured water, a red worm is also a taking bait ; and, as with 

 paste strike at the slightest movement of the float. There 



