SPECIAL HINTS FOR ANGLERS 155 



difficult to scale, making the work slow. There is a 

 knack in skinning perch that is easily learned. A 

 strong knife and the pliers from the tackle box are 

 required. An incision, about half an inch deep, is 

 made on each side of the backbone from head to tail, 

 and the skin cut all around just back of the head. 

 With the pliers the skin is taken at the circular cut, 

 and a quick, sharp pull will tear it off entire from 

 one side. The operation is then repeated on the 

 other. The cuts along the back loosen the dorsal 

 fin, which is pulled out, the entrails are removed, 

 and the head cut off. With a little practice a fish 

 can be cleaned quicker than this can be related. 

 The same method is followed in skinning bass and 

 bullheads. 



Special care should be taken to know thoroughly 

 the location of the various fishing places in a radius 

 of twenty-five miles or more from one's home, and 

 every effort made to learn the best spots to fish in 

 each. Having learned from the preceding chapters 

 the habits of fish and the particular places where they 

 should be found, one can know just where to fish 

 and obtain success. Elvers and lakes should be sur- 

 veyed, and likely spots fished over carefully. Fish- 

 ing at random is useless and time lost ; practical 

 judgment is absolutely necessary to make a success- 

 ful fisherman. The practice of the virtue of patience 



