THE YELL O W PER CH. 



say so. Frank Buckland writes: "Our friend, the Perch, is one of the 

 most beautiful fish which it has pleased Providence to place in our waters. 

 Not only does he afford the angler excellent sport, but to the professed 

 cook his arrival in time for the fiienu is most welcome, as witness water 

 souche, as served at ministerial dinners, city banquets or private parties at 

 Richmond and Greenwich."* 



The simplest way to catch Perch is with the boy's standard outfit: a 

 "pole," a stout line, a large fioat and heavy sinker and a worm or minnow 

 for bait. This is effective when the water is muddy and the Perch are 

 numerous and hungry. 



For wary fish in clearer water more delicate tackle is necessary. 

 The line should be fine, and a simple reel may be used; the float should 

 be small and well balanced, and the shot used for sinkers only heavy 

 enough to keep the float steady. The float should be adjusted so that the 

 bait maybe suspended about a foot from the bottom, and a gentle motion 

 upwards and downwards may advantageously be employed. 



A favorite gear for Perch in England and France is the "paternoster." 

 This name was always a puzzle to me until I saw the apparatus in its 

 French form, when its origin was at once intelligible. The gutta-percha 

 beads and round sinkers of wood and lead suggested at once a rosary. The 

 pater-noster used in England at the present day is much more simple. It 

 is thus described by Francis Francis : 



" For Perch fishing the pater-noster simply consists of a line of gut 

 about 4 or 5 feet long ; at the bottom of this is a leaden bullet or plummet 

 to sink it to the bottom ; about 6 or 8 inches above this a hook on some 



* Hoiv to Cook Perch. — This famous dish, water souche, souchy or sokey, does not seem to have been 

 naturalized in America. The following recipe from an old angler's manual seems more practicable than 

 others given by later authorities: Scale and wash your Perch; put salt in your water: when it boils put in 

 the fish with an onion cut in slices; put in chopped parsley enough to turn the water white; season with 

 salt and pepper, and as soon as the fish is done serve it in a deep dish, pouring a little water over it, with the 

 parsley and onions. Melted butter and parsley should be served in a tureen. Slices of brown bread and 

 butter generally accompany this dish. The writer has tasted a water souche prepared by a famous London 

 cooli, but does not remember it with rapture. The favorite American method is to fry the Perch to a crisp, 

 witli salt pork rather than with butter. In summer, when the skin is slightly bitter, it may advantageously 

 be removed, at other times the fish is better simply scaled. This method is hearty and best adapted to the 

 needs of hungry anglers. Many will preferthe contmental method of stewing them in vinegar or lemon juice, 

 or in some kind of sour sauce. In Italy they are roasted on the spit without removing the scales, and bathed 

 while roasting with vinegar or lemon juice, a method not unsuitable to camp life in the woods. The follow- 

 ing directions are takenfrom the " International Fishery Exhibition Cookery Book: 



Boiled Perch. — Lay the fish in boiling water, with a i^ pound ot salt to each gallon, and simmer gently for 

 about ten minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve with plain melted butter. (This resembles the water 

 souche.) 



Fried Perch.— 'Qwxi^ the fish over with egg, and sprinkle bread crumbs over it. Have ready boiling lard; 

 put the fish in and fry a nice brown. Serve with anchovy sauce. 



Perch Stewed with IVine. — Lay them on a stew pan with sufficient stock and sherry to cover them. Put 

 in a bay leaf, garlic, parsley, two cloves and salt, and simmer till tender, then remove the fish, strain the 

 liquor, add a thickening of butter and flour, pepper, nutmeg and anchovy sauce; sit it over the fire until some- 

 what reduced, pour over the fish and serve. " Broiled Perch flitters " are spoken ofwith enthusiasm by early 

 gourmets. 



