THE ROACH. 29 



fished stream is a mighty wary fellow ; and though they 

 may abound, you may tempt them in vain, and even when 

 they are hungry and are feeding, and the water is coloured 

 by rain, the finest tackle is required to make a good take 

 of them. The roach is a great vegetarian, and feeds 

 largely on water plants ; and while the weeds are in a 

 flourishing state during the summer, it is difficult to get 

 the larger roach to come out and feed freely on other 

 matters ; but when the winter frosts have rolled away the 

 weeds, and made them sour and inedible, the big roach 

 come out, and, if the water be in good condition, feed 

 fairly, and then is the roach fisher's paradise ; and in the 

 metropolitan and midland districts, there are more large 

 roach killed in February, March, and even part of April, 

 than during any other month. 



As a rule on the Thames, and in waters which adopt 

 the Thames rules, roach fishing, with all other bottom 

 fishing, is closed to the angler on the 15th of March ; 

 but throughout March they are, as I can testify, in 

 the very prime and height of tip-top condition; a 

 March roach of a pound, from a good gravelly bottom, 

 is, barring the bones, as good a fish as need be cooked ; 

 they do not spawn till the middle or latter end of May, so 

 that even fishing out March, they have still six weeks at 

 least before they commence spawning ; which is more than 

 enough protection in all conscience, particularly as the 

 best of them do not come out of the weeds, as a rule, 

 much before January. There are thousands of big roaches 

 in the Thames which probably never see an angler's line ; 

 while in the weeds, if a clear space can be found, a few 

 may be taken with silk weed, that is the long, slimy, silky 

 looking weed, which is found on the bottom. A lump of 

 this being wrapped on the hook, as I am told (for I never 



