THE EOAOH. 



CHAPTER y. 



THE ROACH. 



To be a successful roach fisher is the highest attainment in 

 the bottom fisher's art. He must be possessed of great skill, 

 patience, and ingenuity, and also a thorough knowledge of 

 the habits of the fish. Further, he must be able to detect 

 the places where roach are likely to be found, and know 

 what places they avoid ; he must pay particular attention to 

 a number of the most minute details, a good swim must be 

 selected, and then must be fished at the exact depth. A 

 very fine tackle must be used, and in hooking a roach, the 

 angler must have a regular roach trick, that is, he must do it 

 without a jerk of any kind,simply in a moment by a single 

 turn of the wrist. Walton says, " When you fish for roach, 

 you must have a small hook, a quick eye, and a nimble 

 hand." Walton too says that the roach is " accounted the 

 water sheep for his simplicity or foolishness;" but roach now-a- 

 days are not so foolish and simple as they were in old Izaak's 

 time. 'Tis true the roach in a pond, where they are small 

 and half starved, and where they seldom see the presence of 

 an angler or a rod, might be foolish, and allow themselves to 

 be caught by any sort of bait and tackle (and I know that 

 roach in our well-fished river, during the latter part of May, 

 are perfectly reckless, and will allow themselves to be caught 

 by dozens with the cad bait, when the spawn and milt has 

 been running from them); but the well-fed, good-condi- 



