292 BEST TIME FOR PERCH FISHING. 



somewhat misshapen, his dress is handsome ; but 

 he seldom dresses better than in the Dutch oven 

 or frying-pan. Perch generally spawn in March. 

 They are gregarious, which is remarkable, since 

 fish of their marked predatory character are 

 generally solitary. They grow to a goodly size. I 

 have seen them weigh four or five pounds apiece, 

 and it is said that one caught in the Serpentine, 

 Hyde Park, weighed nine pounds. A perch that 

 weighs two pounds may be considered anything 

 but a contemptible fish. Very fine perch are 

 caught in the Thames from Eichmond upwards, 

 the largest being caught by spinning a minnow or 

 gudgeon. That part of the Thames which lies 

 between Richmond and Staines, and which is 

 under the useful surveillance of the Thames 

 Angling Preservation Society, affords capital 

 perch fishing. The deep streamy parts are the 

 best. Minnows, gudgeons, and worms are the 

 best baits for perch. They will also take gentles, 

 arid, in docks and tideways, shrimps. On the 

 whole, however, a good lively red worm is the 

 best general bait for perch. You may angle Tor 

 them from February to November, during which 

 time nearly any sort of weather, except sunny 

 and bright, is favourable. They bite well on 

 gloomy, windy days. If you light upon a shoal 

 of them and catch one, you may catch them all 

 nearly, if you do not frighten them by rough 



