302 



NOTES ON PISH AND PISHING. 



habit of doing, like tench and bream. Perhaps he has 

 recourse to this position in an emergency, but it must be 

 as uncomfortable for him to'' feed thus situated as it 

 would be for an alderman to convey his turtle to his mouth 

 if his plate were directly under his abdomen. Those who 

 want to know all about " How to angle for roach " had 

 better consult a book on practical angling : and though it 

 may appear somewhat rash to recommend a book I have 

 never seen, I would refer them to Mr. Pennell's Booh 

 of the Roach. If it is anything like his Boole of the Pike, 

 it must be exhaustive of the subject. Mr. Francis also 

 devotes many pages to roach-fishing. 



Let no man despise the roach-fisher. I say the roach- 

 fisher, for there is a large class of anglers who confine 

 their attention almost exclusively to this branch of fishing, 

 and they rather pride themselves on the fact. They look 

 on it as the ars a,rtium in the way of angling. Their name 

 is legion in the metropolis, and the metropolitan roach- 

 fisher is facile princeps in his line now, as he was in the 

 time of Walton, who says " About London I think there 

 be the best roach anglers." He is skilful, patient, 

 and, above all, most enthusiastic; though at the same 

 time he looks on " roaching " as a most serious business. 

 He seldom smiles while at work ; and when he takes home 

 a good bag of fish at night he carries the air of a man who 

 is conscious of having performed well some very important 

 duty. But this applies specially to the bank angler. The 

 punt angler for roach is a somewhat different man. He 

 is like his brother of the bank, but less serious. I like to 

 see him in his punt, with all the paraphernalia and im- 

 pedimenta for a day's fishing. He is the picture of happy 

 determination and smiling resolve to sit the day out and 



