240 Bass, Pike, and Perch 



this process of mouthing the bait the fish is very 

 likely to discover the hook, if large, and eject it. 



When once hooked, the fish is not to be 

 lightly esteemed. The angler will have all he 

 can attend to with a light rod in a weedy pond, 

 or even in clear water if the fish is of large size. 

 As most other game-fishes may in time disappear 

 before the Asiatic carp, the analogue of the Mon- 

 golian boxer, it may be well and prudent to learn 

 some of the ways to outwit him. In China and 

 Japan the carp is considered before any other fish 

 for food, and is emblematic of strength, vigor, 

 and other good qualities. It is a custom in 

 Japanese households, upon the birth of a male 

 child, to hoist a flag representing a carp, in or- 

 der that he may grow in strength and all manly 

 attributes. In England the carp is not much 

 liked. On the continent of Europe it is consid- 

 ered a good food-fish, but it is confined in clear 

 running water to deprive it of its earthy flavor 

 before it is marketed or eaten. It is likewise 

 kept within proper bounds, although it has been 

 cultivated for centuries. In the United States, 

 however, it has spread over the Mississippi 

 Valley and elsewhere from overflowed ponds un- 

 til it bids fair to become a nuisance, inasmuch 



