22 A BOOK ON ANGLING 



renew the colouring matter about every quarter of an hour, 

 and, said my informant, " no matter how low or bright the 

 water, you will get sport when none of the boats or fishermen 

 near you will perhaps be able to get any." 



Among other baits much favoured by roach are creed 

 malt and boiled wheat ; it must be boiled until it cracks, 

 which takes a couple of hours. Green wheat in the milky 

 state is a very good bait in some places ; it lasts but a short 

 time, however. Pearl barley, which answers the same purpose, 

 is a favourite bait ; it should be boiled till soft, but not too 

 soft. It sticks on the hooks nearly as well as gentles. Plain 

 paste (see bait table) is an excellent bait for roach, and usually 

 comes into favour as gentles go out. A piece of the size of 

 a big pea should be put on the hook, and the angler should be 

 careful not to strike too violently, or he will constantly have 

 to renew his bait. Some mix a little wool with the paste to 

 make it stay better on the hook, and it answers the purpose 

 pretty well. It is best used in eddies and slow streams. The 

 red worm is a tolerably good bait also for roach, particularly 

 in thick water, where the fish may have been feeding on 

 worms, and the large roach will often take the tail of a lob 

 worm sufficiently ravenously. Caddis bait is also a favourite 

 bait with roach, but it is a bad substitute for gentles. The 

 diminutive bloodworm, found in the muddy deposit at the 

 bottom of stagnant waters, is held to be a great attraction 

 for roach, but it requires a fine hook and great care to bait 

 it well. 



SINKING AND DRAWING 



Sinking and drawing with a large blow-fly on a small hook, 

 and a single large shot, is a killing way in warm weather. 

 It is, too, a scientific way, as the angler has to trust a good 

 deal to the sense of feeling for knowing when he has a bite, as 

 no float is used and the bait is often several inches under 

 water. The method is to let out some ten or twelve yards of 

 light silk line, at the end of which is some six feet of fine gut 

 with a small hook baited with a large blow-fly or a wasp-grub, 

 or even a gentle may be used in the same way, and about a 

 foot above this a shot or two, according to the strength of the 

 stream. Let the bait sink almost to mid- water by dropping 

 the point of the rod, and then draw it to the top by raising 

 the point, and so keep on falling and raising the point of the 



