\2 



best varieties for small lakes or ponds are rock bass, ambloplites rupes- 

 tris blue gill, and catfish, and if water is deep the crappie. 



Rock bass are variously known as red eye, red eye perch and goggle 

 eye. It is abundant in upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers and is 

 found in almost all the creeks adjacent to these rivers. It reaches a 

 length of eleven or twelve inches and a weight of from one-half to 

 one and one-half pounds. It is a spring spawner, and like the bass, 

 builds in gravel bed if it can be had". It takes the hook readily and 

 with a rush. Any kind of bait is a lure, worms, minnows, grubs or at 

 times the fly. It is one of the best, if not the best, pond fish we have. 



The sunfishes are next and they consitute a long list. The best and 

 most frequently caught of the true sunfishes is the blue gill, lepomis 

 pallidas ; according to Dr. Hugh Smith they are also known as blue 

 bream, blue sunfish and other names, chiefly local. It is among the 

 largest of the sunfishes, specimens having been taken twelve inches 

 in length. The average weight is from six to eight ounces. As a good 

 fish it has few equals. And as a panfish finds a good market. Ever- 

 mase says: "It is excelled only by the yellow perch. Its flesh is firm 

 and flakey and preserves a delicious flavor and among all the sunfishes 

 it holds the highest rank as a game fish." It bites well any time sum- 

 mer or winter, being particularly ravenous during summer months. 

 It will take any sort of bait; angle worms are perhaps the best. 

 It is very prolific carrying for its spawn and is very hardy. Xot to 

 be despised, however, and a good fish for small ponds, is the common 

 sunfish, pumpkin seed eupomofis gibbosus. It does not grow as large 

 as the blue gill, but is prolific and a fine biter on any bait, very com- 

 mon to our Illinois waters. 



The catfish, particularly the ameirus nebulosus or bull head is gound 

 in great numbers in all Illinois waters, and is valuable for pond cul- 

 ture. 



George W. Peck in the "Milwaukee Sun" says : "The bull head 

 never went back on a friend. To catch the bull head it is not neces- 

 sary to tempt his appetite with porter house steak, or to display an 

 expensive lot of fishing tackle. A pin hook, a piece of liver and a cis- 

 tern pole is all the capital required to catch a bull head." 



When taken from clear cold water the flesh is excellent and it finds 

 a place in market at a greatly increased price over other varieties. 



The yellow or ringed perch pcrca Havescens is a perfect pond fish, 

 a great biter on any kind of bait, from worm to fly at any time of the 

 year, and anybody can catch them. The usual, weight is from one-fourth 

 to one and one-half pounds. Jordan says: "As a pan fish we do not 

 know of any better among American fresh water fishes. We have 

 experimented with the yellow perch and several other species, includ- 

 ing both species of black bass, the blue gill, wall-eyed-pike and rock 

 bass, eating each for several days in succession, and found the yellow 

 perch the sweetest and most delicious of them all. One does not tire 

 of it so soon as of the other kinds. Several other persons who tried the 

 same experiment reached the same conclusion." 



