96 THE SMALL-MOUTHED BASS 



Cooking. 



Like the rock bass and perch, the bass is essentially a 

 pan fish, and when taken from the water and cleaned im- 

 mediately, cut in small pieces and fried in a pan with bacon, 

 it is unsurpassed in flavour by any fresh water fish, even the 

 speckled trout. 



It seldom has any of the rich fat which causes other fish, 

 like whitefish and trout, to pall on the taste, and on this 

 account it is an especially good diet for invalids. 



Proper Shaped Pan for Frying Fish 



Various methods may be employed in its preparation for 

 the table, of which the following may be mentioned: 



In camp, the Indian custom may be employed, which is 

 simple, primitive, and requires no utensils. The fish, when 

 taken, has a green stick of birch run through it, and it is 

 then propped up against the camp fire and turned occasion- 

 ally so that it may be cooked on all sides. In ten or fifteen 

 minutes it will be ready to eat, when the outer skin and scales 

 are removed with a jack-knife. The stick is left in the fish 

 and serves as a handle; and the flesh may then be sprinkled 

 with a little salt and eaten a la nature. 



Or, it may be baked on a hot stone either in its natural 

 state, or after it has been scaled and cleaned. 



For civilized society, place a frying pan on a hot fire of 

 coals or wooden embers, and fill it to the depth of half-an- 



