THE ROACH. 10 L 



worked the float to within a foot of the bank. It is 

 necessary in following this plan, to sit on the bank as low 

 down as possible, so as to be as much out of sight as you 

 can ; there should be a steady, gentle current for this style : 

 you throw your ground bait in a yard or two above you, so 

 that it works down the stream, you then try the depth, and 

 arrange the float so that you are at least six inches deeper 

 than the swim ; or deeper than this, if the current is a little 

 stronger, and then you fish it, as already indicated. Capital 

 bags of roach are often taken by this plan ; especially if the 

 angler roves about after them, and tries every likely-looking 

 place he comes to ; and I know places, or stretches of the 

 river, a mile long, and every yard almost has been a suit- 

 able place. Various plans are adopted for making paste*, 

 but as good a paste as yon can have is made of a bit of 

 white bread crumb, the bread being dipped in water and 

 squeezed until all the water is expressed, it is then worked 

 up with the fingers to the proper consistency. This makes 

 a capital paste for this " pegging" business. Some anglers 

 say this paste is improved by adding a little honey and gin 

 to it, but I have never found that to be any better than 

 the plain paste. Coloured pastes are sometimes used with 

 advantage ; they are made exactly the same as the plain 

 bread paste mentioned above, excepting the colouring. To 

 colour a paste red I roll the paste about a lump of red 

 lead, and work it well, until it assumes a nice pink colour. 

 Don't get any more of the lead, however, among the paste 

 than you can help. A little vermillion added to the paste 

 is better, however, than red lead. Another coloured paste I 

 use is made by adding a little chrome yellow to the bread 

 paste. Some good roach have been taken by these coloured 

 pastes, but I don't personally think they are an improvement, 

 on the whole, on the plain paste ; when I fish with paste, it is 

 very seldom I -use anything but the plain. Nevertheless, I 

 know a very good roach fisher who uses these plain coloured 

 pastes, if I may be allowed the term, and he certainly does make 

 some oood catches at times. The angler can, however, please 

 himself, but whether he uses the plain or the coloured, when 

 he makes it his hands must be perfectly clean, and it would be 



