CHAP. XV1L] THE rIFTI1 



Next, let ine tell you, you shall fish for this 



275 



Roaca. 



in winter with paste or gentles, in April with worms] or 

 cadis : in the very hot months with little white snails, or 

 with flies under water, for he seldom takes them at the top, 

 though the dace will. In many of the hot months, roaches 

 may also be caught thus: take a May-fly or ant-fly, sink 

 him with a little lead to the bottom near to the piles or 

 posts of a bridge, or near to any posts of a weir, I mean 

 any deep place where roaches He quietly, and then pull 

 your fly up very leisurely, and usually a roach will follow 

 your bait to the very top of the water * and gaze on it there, 

 and run at it and take it lest the fly should fly away from 

 him. 



I have seen this done at Windsor and Henley-bridge, and 

 great store of roach taken ; and sometimes a dace or chub. 

 And in August you may fish for them with a paste made 

 only of the crumbs of bread, which should be of pure fine 

 manchet ; l and that paste must be so tempered betwixt 

 your hands till it be both soft and tough too : a very little 

 water, and time and labour, and clean hands, will make it a 

 most excellent paste. But when you fish with it, you must 



1 The finest white rolls. Nares. 



T 2 



