THE EOACH. 85 



one, and then found on striking that his bait was gone, and 

 there was no fish on his hook 1 The crafty old roach had drawn 

 the bait into his mouth at the first little bob of the float, and 

 that was the time to have met him by the magic turn of the 

 wrist. In the moment between the first bob and the second, 

 the roach found out that there was something wrong, and so 

 blew the bait out, and it was the very act of blowing out that 

 caused the second and more decided bob of the float. One of 

 the very best roach fishers we have in Newark tells me that he 

 has very often noticed this peculiar biting of the roach when 

 he has been fishing with a stationary bait in quiet waters. 

 He says he always gives a short twitch, let the float move as 

 it likes j sometimes, he has noticed that the float has been 

 thrown upwards a trifle ; and then again it might only tilt 

 over a little ; and, he is now of the firm conviction that all 

 these moves indicate a roach bite, a conviction that I most 

 heartily share. It is always the largest and best roach that 

 bite in this sly and unobtrusive manner ; it is nevertheless 

 true that anybody can catch roach sometimes when the fish 

 are quietly sucking down the bait and hooking themselves ; 

 but it is not very often that he is *' on," like that. Very 

 small fish will bob down the float and make the angler think 

 he has got a most important bite ; but the big fellows in a 

 quiet water, when they are not very well " on ;" are not to be 

 taken by anybody. When you are fishing with gentles in a 

 slight stream, and your float is travelling down, you cannot 

 notice this action of your float, but it will be the best to strike 

 promptly on the least indication of a bite ; more roach have 

 been lost by waiting a trifle for a second bob, than have been 

 taken. I think I have shown the necessity of having a float 

 to properly indicate a roach bite, and now we will look for a 

 minute or two at the roach hooks ; these should be carefully 

 selected and tested before whipping them on the gut. Some 

 anglers like a hook that is short in the shank and very fine in 



