60 LONDON ANGLER'S BOOK, 



if there is a breeze ; your tackle need not be over fine, 

 and you may put two hooks on your line ; angle at 

 six or eight inches from the bottom if with a float, but 

 in my opinion, the best way is to rove without one, 

 having shot enough to sink your bait, and no more ; 

 if you bait with a live minnow, perhaps a float is best, 

 but otherwise 1 prefer roving without a float. Minnows 

 Loaches, small lobs, marsh worms, brandlings, red 

 worms, and gentles are the baits; if you use a Minnow, 

 hook by the nose, as a Perch cannot take his bait 

 crossways like a Pike ; when you rove, cast your bait 

 gently between weeds, under roots, banks, about piles 

 and bridges, you will soon distinguish a bite, give a 

 little time and the fish is yours, if fishing with proper 

 tackle (that is strong enough.) Perch are not often 

 taken in the winter in any quantity, yet some are taken 

 of a large size when trolling ; the river Perch are a 

 very handsome fish, differing much from most of the 

 finny tribe, they are hog backed, and have a parti- 

 cular fin on the back, which they erect, and this ren- 

 ders them very formidable, it being armed with strong 

 sharp bones, they have very red fins, their tail is also 

 red, small hard scales, with dark bars down their sides, 

 which are of a grey olive colour. A few worms 

 occasionally thrown in where you know there are 

 Perch, may induce them to feed; always have a 

 superior worm on your hook, this is the only ground- 

 bait of any use in Perch fishing. 



