Macbeth: Hello! I'm going to talk about some fish.
Macbeth: Perch are the common name for the genus of fish Perca. Yellow perch (p. flavescens) are commonly found in North American streams, rivers, and lakes. Perch are carnivores who like to eat smaller fish, insect larvae, and shellfish. They grow up to 15 inches, but are most commonly 5-11 inches. They swim in schools and are most active at dawn and dusk when they are feeding. To catch Perch, most fishermen recommend poppers or lightweight jigs if you're using artificial baits, but I have caught many perch with just regular plastic lures. If you're using live bait, Perch will often steal the worms without biting. Make sure to use a small hook to avoid this problem. Since Perch travel in schools, don't waste time when putting the fish back in the water and re-baiting—the schools don't stay in the same place for long.
Macbeth: There are many different kinds of bass, but the ones you want to catch are Largemouth bass. Largemouth are carniverous fish native to the eastern and central USA, southeastern Canada, and Northern Mexico. They are olive green and marked by dark, diagonal stripe along the length of their body (hotdog style). They are shiny on the bottom and dark on the top. The largemouth are the largest kind of black bass and consume mostly small fish, water fleas, copepods, and insects. They live in lakes, rivers, and resevoirs. Largemouth can grow to be over 2 feet long and over 20 lbs.
Macbeth: Their habits are often dependent on the weather: they hang out near bass shelter (weeds, etc) when its sunny, but leave their main spots when its cloudy. The best time to catch them is in the early morning or late evening, but they will come out when its cloudy or muddy at other times. The size of your lure does not matter, bass will bite things no matter how big or small. Bass are known for jumping, so you should be prepared for when they do. When reeling it in, hold the rod at a high angle with the end of the rod pointed toward the sky. It is good practice to anchor the end of your rod somewhere against your body (by the hip, on the thigh, next to ribs, etc, just don't hurt yourself). When the bass jumps, quickly point the rod down so the end of the rod is pointing at the water. If you don't do this, the bass may spit your lure out and get away.