PERCH FISHING. 19 



A light stiff rod, with short line, float and sinker, 

 is all that is necessary for perch. The usual bait is 

 the common angleworm, which they will take as soon 

 as anything. Shad spawn is sometimes used in the 

 shad season, and minnows in the Spring of the year. 

 When the stream in which you are fishing runs into 

 salt water, shrimp will be found a good bait. Hooks 

 to be used are Limerick trout, Nos. 4 to 7, according 

 to the size of your fish. 



The Yellow Perch, which is very plenty in the 

 North Western waters of the United States, attains 

 a large growth in the Lakes some of them weighing 

 three pounds and more. In the streams and ponds, 

 from half to three quarters of a pound are the com- 

 mon weights. They are caught there at all seasons. 

 Expert anglers use the minnow in catching perch, 

 and early in the season they will bite very readily 

 at that bait. Impale the minnow alive and lively on 

 a No. 9 trout hook stick the hook either under the 

 back fin or through the upper lip use a few shots 

 for a sinker about ten inches from the hook, and have 

 a cork large enough to prevent the minnow from 

 sinking it. With this arrangement you must fix 

 your line to keep the bait about mid-water. Small 

 live frogs are frequently used for perch with suc- 

 cess, fixed in the same way as the minnow. 



The best way to cook perch is to fry them in pork 

 fat, first frying some salt pork in the pan. Pork fat 

 procured in this way is superior to lard or butter in 

 frying any kind of fish. 



