168 COARSE FISH. 



be taken when the white paste is avoided. Small 

 roach are often a nuisance, taking the bait freely, 

 close to the angler ; to stop this, when you know 

 large roach are in the swim or near it, put on large 

 baits ; the little fellows refuse these, or only suck 

 or nip off a tiny piece ; the big roach take the whole 

 bait, or what is left of it. 



Another excellent paste is made of arrowroot 

 A biscuit. Scrape or cut off all the brown 



Arrow- x 



root outside of the biscuit, then grind the re- 

 paste ma j nc ier to a fine powder with a rolling-pin, 

 mixing the powder with water in a pie-dish. I 

 have found this a very good paste. 



Here is a recipe for a yellow paste that I have 

 Yellow sometimes found will kill roach when they 

 paste re f use bread-paste entirely. Mix flour and 

 yellow ochre powder together in a dry state, three 

 teaspoonfuls of flour to one of ochre, stirring the 

 flour and ochre together thoroughly before adding 

 water. This should also be done in a pie-dish. 

 Very little water is required, and it should be stirred 

 in with a clean skewer or spoon ; if the paste is 

 too wet, more flour must be added. This paste 

 should be kept in a tin box, not in a cloth, as it is 

 inclined to run if it gets too wet. A very little 

 aniseed should be mixed with this paste, which 

 turns yellower when it has been mixed a little 

 while, and is bright yellow in the water. Turmeric 

 might suit instead of the ochre, but the paste kills 

 so well that I have not troubled to try any other 

 colouring matter. I cannot say whether the yellow 

 ochre would render the fish unfit for food, the 

 quantity in a pellet of paste is so small that I 

 should be surprised at any harm being done. 

 Yellow paste kills well in summer time. 



