CHAPTER XXIII 

 THE YELLOW PERCH 



Give me some observations and directions concerning the Pearch for they 

 say he is both a very good and a bold biting fish, and I would fain learne 

 to fish for him. IZAAK WALTON, The Complete Angler. 



Habitat and Distribution. Brilliant in coloration, abundant 

 and easy of capture, and possessing a firm, white flesh of 

 delicate flavor, it is no wonder that the yellow perch (Per'ca 

 flaves'cens, Fig. 152) is one of the best known of the fresh- 



FIG. 152. Photograph of Yellow Perch. Reduced 

 (From Jordan and Evermann's American Food and Game Fishes) 



water fishes of the United States. Though found in streams, 

 especially in those with quiet reaches of water, the yellow 

 perch is more truly a creature of ponds and lakes. There it 

 prefers a pebbly or sandy bottom. Its range extends from 

 Labrador to Georgia in the fresh-water rivers and the lakes 



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