136 PERCH. 



In river-fishing, the best baits are minnow's, stone- 

 leech, and almost any small line bait, as also grubs and 

 brandlings. In docks, bait with shrimps, minnows, or 

 the brandlings, well scoured. I would strongly advise 

 that when a minnow is used to bait with, it should be 

 hooked by the tail, as it will thus swim much freer and 

 livelier than when hooked through the lips or back fin. 

 It is also safer; a minnow hooked by the lips being 

 very likely to be taken off by a perch, in consequence 

 of the resistance offered to the snatch by the large 

 corks too generally used in angling for this fish. I 

 have seen a dozen minnows lost in succession when 

 hooked by the lips, while with the next five, hooked by 

 the tail, I have seen seventeen perch taken. It has 

 been said by some writers, that if you can get thirty 

 or forty perch together in a hole, they are so greedy 

 and fearless that you may take them all. Now, that 

 the perch is both greedy and bold, there is no denying; 

 but it is not so devoid of caution as this statement 

 would make it appear. There is no great difficulty in 

 finding thirty or forty together in a hole. Any one 

 disposed to differ with me as to the likelihood of taking 

 them, may set the matter at rest by making the trial. 



Perch seldom swim near the bottom, and it will 

 generally be found that to fish at about two feet below 

 the surface is the best depth. 



Your success in perch-fishing will depend, in a great 

 measure, on the way in which you bait for them. It 

 is very desirable to bait the ground on the preceding 

 night with a paste made as recommended in page 93. 

 It should be made into good-sized lumps, and thrown 

 into the spot you intend to angle at; and if the fish be 

 at all plentiful there, you will not fail to find them 



