SUNFISH^ CARP, CATFISH AND SUCKERS. 173 



sinker. I don't think it necessary to mention the various 

 places they are likely to be found at certain times, and 

 other such information, for the angler will soon learn this 

 if he fishes often in the same waters, and nothing that I 

 could tell would be of any special value. 



Another very common fish is the yellow perch, or ringed 

 perch. It is found in eastern Canada, the region immediately 

 north of the Great Lakes, the upper Mississippi Valley, Mich- 

 igan, Indiana, Ohio, and all of the states bordering on the 

 Atlantic ocean. It is a nicely shaped fish, a little wide in 

 proportion to length, with a high back and rather small head. 

 The back is olive and the sides yellow, lighter beneath, and 

 over the back and sides are some six or seven dark vertical 

 bands, like finger prints. 



The yellow perch reaches, in some waters, a weight of 

 two pounds, though it is usually under a pound in weight. 

 It is a gamey fish, and an excellent food fish when taken 

 from good waters. 



Perch may be caught by still fishing, with the same outfit 

 described and recommended for sunfish. Baits are the same 

 as for sunfish, but almost any kind of bait will do. A small 

 casting spoon will also catch them, and sometimes they rise 

 well to a fly. 



The white perch is a sea fish, but is caught in the brack- 

 ish waters on the Atlantic coast, at the river mouths | It does 

 very well when transplanted to fresh water and sometimes 

 ascends the streams quite a distance. It grows a little larger 

 than the yellow perch. It is -caught with the same kind of 

 tackle and the same bait, also shrimp, shedder crab, small 

 eel, etc." 



The white bass is one of the true basses, and one of the 

 two that live in fresh water, for most of the bass are sea 

 fish. It is found in certain waters in the upper Mississippi 

 Valley; also in Lake Michigan and Lake Erie. Its usual 

 weight is about a pound, but specimens of two pounds or 



