NOTES. 237 



Among coarse fish, pike, perch, and chub take a spinning 

 bait, and very large barbel are occasionally caught with 

 it when they are in the weirs after spawning. I know of 

 a single instance in which a roach was caught with 

 a spinning minnow, the fish being hooked fairly in the 

 mouth. Do not go spinning for roach on the strength 

 of this statement, as the occurrence is, from an angling 

 point-of-view, little short of the marvellous. 



It has often struck me that considerable improvement 

 might be made in the colouring of rods, and 

 that manufacturers should give attention to this 

 much more than they do, particularly in the 

 long Lea roach-rods. These rods, when new, are most 

 conspicuous, almost white, and highly varnished. Some 

 of the shine wears off in use, but a dull green or brown 

 rod would assimilate better with natural colours, especi- 

 ally when fishing under trees or bushes. For some time 

 past, I have most of my rods coloured or stained green, 

 and the matter of colouring is well worth considering. Why 

 should we take such pains to fish .with fine tackle for 

 roach and then hold a glittering white rod directly over 

 them ? In clear and shallow water, this proceeding 

 seems little short of absurd. The " flash " of a fly-rod in 

 the sunlight is seen for a long distance ; and I feel sure 

 that trout that are much fished for are occasionally 

 alarmed by the sweep of a highly varnished rod. As an 

 experiment, I have fished with a fly-rod coloured light blue, 

 and have done well with it. Hardy Brothers have made 

 me some excellently stained split-cane rods of a dark 

 green tint. I cannot specify the least visible colour, as 

 this somewhat depends on the light and situation ; but 

 at any rate glitter should be avoided as much as possible, 

 and for this reason I cannot see the use of silver-plated 

 ferrules on a rod. Presentation rods are sometimes got 

 up " regardless " ; but if ever I am presented with a 

 rod, I trust it will be a workmanlike article and not a 

 toy. Some years ago I saw a letter (I think it was in the 

 Field] which stated that a well-known and much fished- 

 for trout was secured by an angler who was trying a rod, 

 newly made, without varnish, and he attributed his 

 success chiefly to the fact that no flash had been given 

 by the rod. 



