Roach
The Roach is a handsome fish, and when taken of the size of half a pound
or a pound, are not such bad eating as is said of them. They are very
bony, it is true, but particularly wholesome. These fish do not thrive
so well in ponds where they are exceedingly numerous, but in deep
running rivers, with sandy and gravelly bottoms. They excel in both
flavour and size. Let the place to angle for them be about four or five
feet deep, plumb the depth, and allow your bait to be very near the
bottom. The baits are paste, or gentles. When you begin, throw into the
place you angle in some ground bait, to bring them together; keep your
eye to the float, which should be a quill one, and the gut line with as
many shot attached to it as will carry the float about a quarter the
length of it out of the water, and strike smartly, but gently when you
see it move downwards. They bite best in mild dark days. Work the paste
between the hands (bread without wet), and when rather tough, mix a
little vermilion with it, they like this best. Let the shot be about
half a foot or so from the hook, which should be a No. 10 or 12, and
where there are large ones, No. 8, tied on gut. When I was a little boy
this sort of angling used to be my favourite amusement, with the running
bait for trout after a flood.
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