SPECIAL BAIT FOR BARBEL. 57 



hole, a few gentles should be pressed in clay, leaving 

 small outlets for escape. A few of these will have 

 the desired effect of attracting the notice and ex- 

 citing the foraging instincts of the larger fish. 

 Whenever roach fail to approach the bait presented, 

 a change should be made, if practicable. The wisest 

 policy is, however, to examine the stomach of the 

 first capture, as in the case of fly-fishing. 



We have frequently found a predominance of 

 beetles, and even flies, in the stomachs of the fish, 

 which accounted for a previous marked indifference 

 to our bottom bait : we are now speaking of roach 

 in our smaller streams, where the variety of food is 

 much greater. In the lowest portions of the majority 

 of our best trout streams, as, for instance, the tribu- 

 taries of the Thames and Trent, much execution may 

 be done with the sunk house-fly in September, when 

 these and the wood-fly are blind and feeble, and 

 are scattered as the falling leaves by each gust of 

 wind. Whatever may be the contents of the stomach 

 of the fish, the bait should harmonise as much as 

 possible with what is found to be the inclination 

 of the quarry, whether it be worms, grubs, larvae of 

 insects, or even weeds, for the roach is occasionally 

 a vegetarian. In the case of the last-named pre- 

 dominancy, paste may be used with advantage, and 

 failing this, silk-weed when procurable. Whatever 

 you do, do not use stale bait, or the sure Nemesis 

 will be stale sport. Roach are excessively nice in 

 their ideas, and the careful panderer to their base 

 desires will reap ample payment for his exertions. 



