THE YEL LOW PER CJf. 



them, especially the piche aux geux in its different forms, very complicated, 

 and hardly to be recommended for use in America. 



The Perch, it is said, will also rise to an artificial bait, or to a fly, 

 natural or artificial, especially at the end of spring, when the Ephemeras 

 are abundant and they are preying upon surface life. Some authorities 

 say that a gray fly is preferable ; others that tliere is nothing equal to a 

 red hackle. An imitation of the insect ui)on which they are known to be 

 feeding at the time, or better still, the natural insect, will undoubtedly 

 be the most effective bait. In fly-fishing for Perch a strong trout rod, or 

 light bass rod may be used. The leader should be of gut, and may ad- 

 vantageously be rendered inconspicuous by staining a deep blue or reddish 

 brown — so say the experts. 



The flavor of the Perch is said to be finest when they are full of spawn 

 and milt, but directly after spawning for two or three weeks, although 

 at this time they bite ravenously, their flesh is often soft and watery. 

 They are active and voracious throughout the summer, but in the fall 

 months are more wary and reepiire the exercise of the angler's highest 

 art. Walton observed that, though abstemious in winter, they would bite 

 at the middle of the day even then, if it were warm. Many Perch are 

 taken by fishing through the ice on the northern lakes. 



This, the only peculiarly American method of Perch fishing, is well 

 described by Mr. A. N. Cheney, of Glen's Falls, N. Y. : 



"The Perch retire to deep water with a bottom of fine grass as cold 

 weather approaches, and there they are found in February and March, 

 which is the time for ice fishing. The tools required are an ice chisel 

 for cutting the holes, a hand-line and sinker, fixed with a ' spreader,' 

 and snells, and though it does not come under the head of tools, a fire. 

 The 'spreader' is a piece of brass wire about a foot long, turned with 

 a pair of pliers to form an eye in the middle, to attach the line, and an 

 eye in each end to fasten the snells. Spreaders may be obtained at the 

 tackle shops, that have a swivel in the middle of the wire, and under- 

 neath it an eye so that three snells may be used. The bait is the small 

 white grub, most easily found in dead and partly rotted second-growth 

 pine trees or logs, from which they have to be cut out with an ax. The 

 man wlio catches Perch for market does not trouble himself to provide 

 more than two or three grubs, for as soon as he catches one fish he has 

 two baits. It seems cruel, however, to tear the eyes out of a fish that has 

 scarcely ceased to quiver, and I could never bring myself to do it thus 

 hastily. When the spreader is thrown through the hole cut in the ice, 

 there is nothing to do but to wait for a bite. If a Perch takes one bite 



