grow to a very considerable size, fish of 20
lb being regarded as "specimens" and an occasional thirty-pounder
rewarding the zealous and fortunate. The heaviest pike caught with a
rod in recent years which is sufficiently authenticated, weighed 37
lb, but heavier specimens are said to have been taken in Irish lakes.
River pike up to about 10 lb in weight are excellent eating.

[v.02 p.0029]

America has several species of pike, of which the muskelunge of the
great lake region (_Esox masquinongy_) is the most important. It is a
very fine fish, excelling _Esox lucius_ both in size and looks. From
the angler's point of view it may be considered simply as a large
pike and may be caught by similar methods. It occasionally reaches the
weight of 80 lb or perhaps more. The pickerel (_Esox reticulatus_) is
the only other of the American pikes which gives any sport. It reaches
a respectable size, but is as inferior to the pike as the pike is to
the muskelunge.

_Perch_.--Next to the pikes come the perches, also predatory fishes.
The European perch (_Perca fluviatilis_) has a place by itself in the
affections of anglers. When young it is easy to catch by almost any
method of fishing, and a large number of Walton's disciples have been
initiated into the art with its help. Worms and small live-baits are
the principal lures, but at times the fish will take small bright
artificial spinning-baits well, and odd attractions such as boiled
shrimps, caddis-grubs, small frogs, maggots, wasp-grubs, &c. are
sometimes successful. The drop-minnow is one of the best methods of
taking perch. Very occasionally, and principally in shallow pools, the
fish will take an artificial fly greedily, a small salmon-fly being
the best thing to use in such a case. A perch of 2 lb is a good fish,
and a specimen of 4-1/2 lb about the limit of angling expectation.
There have been rare instances of perch over 5 lb, and there are
legends of eight-pounders, which, however, need authentication.

_Black Bass_.--The yellow perch of America (_Perca flavescens_) is
very much like its European cousin in appearance and habits, but it is
not so highly esteemed by American anglers, because they are fortunate
in being possessed of a better fish in the black bass, another member
of the perch family. There are two kinds of black bass (_Micropterus
salmoides_ and _Micropterus dolomieu_), the large-mouthed and the
small-mouthed. The first is more a lake and pond fish than t