156 COARSE FISH. 



with for several seasons, and it has given great 

 satisfaction. 



This rod is lo ft. 2 in. in length; deal butt 

 (coloured black), cane centre, and solid top of 

 lancewood. Logwood or rosewood would be still 

 better, but so long as the top is of solid wood, it 

 strikes a long line properly off the water. Although 

 the rod weighs barely three-quarters of a pound, I 

 have killed many a big roach with it, " hitting '' the 

 fish quite thirty yards away, using thin quill floats, 

 and a fine, greased running line. This rod was 

 made by Slater, of Newark ; but I had larger rings 

 fitted, and find I can fish more comfortably in 

 consequence. This little rod can be used for a very 

 long day's work without tiring the wrist or arm, its 

 weight being hardly felt at all ; and the strike is 

 made from the wrist, not requiring the assistance 

 of the forearm, as is the case with a very long rod. 



The winch for roach-fishing should be a light, 



,. , check Nottingham, of as little weight as 

 Winch o ' - o 



possible, but large in the barrel, to assist in 



winding in quickly. A check winch is best, as it is 



useful in tight corking and legerihg. I strongly 



advise winding with the left hand in roach-fishing, 



in which striking and winding in occur so frequently. 



The running line should be little thicker than stout 



cotton, and should be greased thoroughly 



with vaseline, which must be allowed to dry 



in several times before the line is used. As a long 



gut cast is generally used in roach-fishing, especially 



by London anglers, colouring is of no consequence, 



the fine line working better without any enamel 



being mixed with the vaseline. Extreme lightness 



has to be considered, so only a floating material 



should be put on the line ; enamel adds weight. 



