THE YELLOW PERCH. 
7 
say so. Frank Buckland writes: “ Our friend, the Perch, is one of the 
most beautiful fish which it has pleased Providence to place in our waters. 
Not only does he afford the angler excellent sport, but to the professed 
cook his arrival in time for the menu is most welcome, as witness water 
souche, as served at ministerial dinners, city banquets or private parties at 
Richmond and Greenwich.”* 
The simplest way to catch Perch is with the boy’s standard outfit: a 
“pole,” a stout line, a large float and heavy sinker and a worm or minnow 
for bait. This is effective when the water is muddy and the Perch are 
numerous and hungry. 
For wary fish in clearer water more delicate tackle is necessary. 
The line should be fine, and a simple reel may be used; the float should 
be small and well balanced, and the shot used for sinkers only heavy 
enough to keep the float steady. The float should be adjusted so that the 
bait may be suspended about a foot from the bottom, and a gentle motion 
upwards and downwards may advantageously be employed. 
A favorite gear for Perch in England and France is the “paternoster.” 
This name was always a puzzle to me until I saw the apparatus in its 
French form, when its origin was at once intelligible. The gutta-percha 
beads and round sinkers of wood and lead suggested at once a rosary. The 
pater-noster used in England at the present day is much more simple. It 
is thus described by Francis Francis: 
“ For Perch fishing the pater-noster simply consists of a line of gut 
about 4 or 5 feet long ; at the bottom of this is a leaden bullet or plummet 
to sink it to the bottom; about 6 or 8 inches above this a hook on some 
* How to Cook Perch. —This famous dish, water souche, souchy or sokey, does not seem to have been 
naturalized in America. The following recipe from an old angler’s manual seems more practicable than 
others given by later authorities: Scale and wash your Perch; put salt in your water; when it boils put in 
the fish with an onion cut in slices; put in chopped parsley enough to turn the water white; season with 
salt and pepper, and as soon as the fish is done serve it in a deep dish, pouring a little water over it, with the 
parsley and onions. Melted butter and parsley should be served in a tureen. Slices of brown bread and 
butter generally accompany this dish. The writer has tasted a water souche prepared by a famous London 
cook, but does not remember it with rapture. The favorite American method is to fry the Perch to a crisp, 
with salt pork rather than with butter. In summer, when the skin is slightly bitter, it may advantageously 
be removed, at other times the fish is better simply scaled. This method is hearty and best adapted to the 
needs of hungry anglers. Many will prefer the continental method of stewing them in vinegar or lemon juice, 
or in some kind of sour sauce. In Italy they are roasted on the spit without removing the scales, and bathed 
while roasting with vinegar or lemon juice, a method not unsuitable to camp life in the woods. The follow¬ 
ing directions are taken from the “ International Fishery Exhibition Cookery Book: 
Boiled Perch. —Lay the fish in boiling water, with a li pound of salt to each gallon, and simmer gently for 
about ten minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve with plain melted butter. (This resembles the water 
souche.) 
Fried Perch. —Brush the fish over with egg, and sprinkle bread crumbs over it. Have ready boiling lard; 
put the fish in and fry a nice brown. Serve with anchovy.sauce. 
Perch Stewed with IVine. —Lay them on a stew pan with sufficient stock and sherry to cover them. Put 
in a bay leaf, garlic, parsley, two cloves and salt, and simmer till tender, then remove the fish, strain the 
liquor, add a thickening of butter and flour, pepper, nutmeg and.anchovy sauce; sit it over the fire until some¬ 
what reduced, pour over the fish and serve. “ Broiled Perch flitters ” are spoken of with enthusiasm by early 
gourmets. 
