THE ROACH. 177 



athwart the stream, stopped at each end by a 

 rypeck, and not one angler in fifty fishes a long 

 swim. I get my best Thames roach a long way 

 off, for they are well-educated fish, especially those 

 of large size. The little roach come close to the 

 punt, even in clear water ; but unless the water is 

 coloured, the larger fish are very shy. A summer 

 roach of a pound and a half in weight is a rare fish 

 in the Lower Thames, and not many of that weight 

 are caught even in the winter season. 



For comfortable fishing, the angler should take 

 up a sitting position, on a campstool, basket, 

 or other firm seat. The true London "roacher" 

 usually carries a box, which holds both fish and 

 tackle, and forms a convenient seat. If the situa- 

 tion be at all swampy, a basket cannot well be 

 used, the weight of the angler sinks it, and the 

 water gets to the tackle or fish ; besides which, the 

 basket-work will pick up a lot of mud. Personally, 

 I prefer a folding, triangular campstool, with leather 

 seat, not webbing, which wears out very quickly. 

 A broken band may cause a nasty fall, or a 

 ducking. The legs of the campstool sink some- 

 what in soft ground, but that does not matter, pro- 

 vided that the ground is not very marshy. The 

 stool can be strapped to the rods, or placed in the 

 bag, when the day's sport is over ; it is of little 

 weight, while boxes and baskets, strong enough 

 to sit on, are cumbersome. For very long swims 

 from the bank, a standing position is best ; the 

 extra height from the water aids in the strike, and 

 the float is seen for a longer distance. 



Roach do not " fur " so quickly as bleak or dace ; 

 but they soon go " off colour " in a punt-well. I 

 have seen plenty of diseased bleak and dace in the 



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