PRACTICAL ESSAY. 277 



away or under before you strike. The minnow should be as fresh 

 and lively as possible. 



Paternostering is a specialty of perch fishing. The paternoster 

 is thus made : the gut bottom should be a yard long, weighted at 

 the end with a bullet ; links of gut 6 inches long are fastened to 

 this, one just above the bullet and the others at intervals of 10 

 inches above. Two, three, or four hooks may be thus suspended 

 and baited with minnows and worms. No float is used, but the 

 paternoster is cast into the eddies and other spots where perch are 

 likely to be, and allowed to sink until the lead touches the bottom. 

 It is then moved about, a foot or so at a time, until every part of 

 the hole is well fished. When a bite is felt, the line must be 

 slackened for a second or two, and when you feel a more vigorous 

 tugging, strike firmly but not violently, or you may jerk the other 

 baits off. 



You may also troll with a minnow baited on a miniature gorge- 

 hook, like that described in the article on pike fishing, or with a 

 drop minnow, as described in that on trout fishing, or you may 

 spin with a natural or artificial minnow, or a small spoon-bait. In 

 Norfolk the pattern of spoon with a red tassel behind is rightly 

 accounted most killing, and Hearder's plano-convex minnow is 

 good at all times. I used to catch numbers of large perch in the 

 Shropshire meres while spinning for pike, with a good-sized roach 

 for bait, and I have caught them with a very large spoon. A friend 

 assures me that the most killing bait of all for perch is that known 

 as the " baby spinner," made for sea-fishing. It is a long-shanked 

 hook, with a small Archimedean spinner on the shank of it. A 

 red worm should be placed on the hook, and the bait, weighted 

 with lead about a foot above the hook, is worked up and down in 

 the perch haunts. My friend says its effect was perfectly marvellous 

 on the occasions on which he tried it. 



The ordinary bottom -fishing rod will do very well for perch 

 fishing, but if the angler has a choice, one a little longer will be 

 better for paternostering, as it is of advantage to be able to reach 

 a distance, and yet have a short line. 



