THE HOME OF THE PERCH. 69 



bottom hook, so as to hold a different kind of bait. When 

 four hooks are used, and the tackle is strong, it is recom- 

 mended in tidal waters to use a minnow or a gudgeon to 

 bait the lower hook, a fine lob-worm may occupy the next 

 hook, a shrimp the third, and a gentle the upper or fourth 

 hook. When two hooks only are on the line, a large lob- 

 worm, or two smaller ones, may be placed on the lower 

 hook, and a shrimp on the higher, and loaded with a plum- 

 met or bullet at the bottom. It should always be borne in 

 mind that while perch only feed, as a rule, morning and 

 evening in rivers, in all tidal waters they are on the 

 feed at different times, according to the state of the tide, 

 and on the flow and ebb the predatory perch is on the look- 

 out for prey. In open water perch love to lie about mill 

 pools, locks, and bridges. They have a hankering after 

 barges, shipping, and baulks of timber. In more quiet 

 streams they like deep holes where there is an eddy ; back- 

 waters with a sandy or gravelly bottom suit them, and in 

 these places there is no better general bait than the well 

 scoured worm, either red, marsh, or brandling, as described 

 in the table of baits. They do not like bright sunny wea- 

 ther, and the angler will find the forenoons and the evening, 

 even in cloudy weather, more suitable for perch-fishing than 

 the midday or sunshine. There is not much trouble to 

 persuade the perch to bite, and as he hunts in company, 

 when one is captured, there is a great probability of securing 

 his companions also. Excellent sport may be had with 

 perch from a quarter to a pound and a quarter in weight, foi 

 though larger perch have been caught, the}* are by no means 

 common. In the boiling eddies near mill streams you may 

 fish successfully for porch with a paternoster line, loaded 

 with a bullet to keep down the baits : but as a float would 



