THE ROACH. 95 



roach, and when the water is rising the angler can fish on the 

 grass slopes by the side. The fish are roving about, and are 

 looking for food ; also when water is low, keep your eyes open, 

 and note where a nice grassy slope comes gradually out of the 

 river, that is free from obstructions. This, when covered 

 with a rising water, will be found a capital place to take 

 roach with the cockspur or the tail end of lob ; but as soon 

 as the water begins to go down again, the fish retire with it 

 into the main stream, and it is very little good fishing in a 

 falling water during flood time. I have taken good roach 

 during the winter, when snow has laid on the ground, and 

 the weather has been altogether disagreeable, by a little judi- 

 cious baiting, and using the tail end of lob for the hook 

 bait ; anglers, therefore, need not despair, and think they can- 

 not get any roach fishing. If they know the winter haunts 

 of the fish, they caii get some sport, and the roach they do 

 catch in the winter with the tail end of lob are generally big 

 fish and in splendid condition. 



Although roach, as a general thing, are found in deep, quiet 

 water, yet in the early part of the season they are sometimes 

 found in the shallows of a mill tail, or in the gravelly shal- 

 lows that flow from a weir, and they may then be caught by 

 a cad bait, or with gentles, fishing with a float and a short 

 tackle. If the angler is so minded also, he can whip for them 

 with an artificial fly, red and black palmers will be the best^ 

 and as an improvement he can put a gentle on the point of the 

 hook. Eoach can also be taken by daping a live insect on 

 the surface, in such places as follows : — Where a lot of weeds 

 &c., hinders you from float fishing, or in any place that you 

 know contains roach, providing that there is something on the 

 bank that will allow you to keep out of sight. A blow and 

 the cowdung fly are the best for this purpose. There is also 

 a certain water-weed {conferva rivalis) that roach will take as 

 a hook bait, when they are vegetably minded. That roach 



