Perch Information
Name: Yellow Perch, Perca flavescens
Distribution:
Found in lakes, ponds, creeks, reservoirs and rivers, in brackish water and in slightly saline lakes. Most commonly found in clear water near vegetation. Found in almost all of North America, from Arctic, Great Lakes, and Mississippi River basins from Nova Scotia and Quebec west to Great Slave Lake in Northwest Territories in Canada, and south to Ohio, Illinois and Nebraska in the USA; south in Atlantic drainages to Santee River in South Carolina, USA.
Characteristics:
Yellow perch are a greenish-yellow color down the back, with darker to black colored bands on their sides. The fins are typically orange, and it’s dorsal fin is tipped with sharp spines, and there is a very sharp point on the gill covering. Yellow perch are small fish, averaging around seven to nine inches, but their size varies from lake to lake. "Jumbo" perch are 12 – 16 inches long. Perch travel in schools, generally preferring relatively shallow, sandy bottom waters near shore.
Fish Habits:
Spawning occurs in late April or early May. They tend to shoal near the shore during spring in shallow lake areas close to reeds, cattails or fallen trees. Eggs are released during the night or early morning, and each female’s eggs are fertilized by many males. Eggs are deposited in long bands of jelly-like material containing numerous eggs. These bands adhere to submerged vegetation or other underwater material, and remain there until the eggs hatch. Male perch reach sexual maturity at about three years of age, females at four. After hatching the young fish travel together in schools and grow slowly in cold water. They feed on zooplankton and aquatic insects until they get larger then they eat smaller fish.
Perch tend to move into shallower water each morning and evening to feed and once found will bite all day long. Watching the rod tip is important as perch are delicate light biters. Perch do not bite at night, they rest on the bottom and refrain from feeding or moving in fear of being eaten as prey by walleye and pike. They are typically associated with rocky or rubble bottoms, but may be found in and around weed beds in shallower lakes and are usually caught on or near the bottom. Perch prefer a sandy bottom in shallower water but close to cover, they are top of the menu selection for Walleye and Pike. Perch feed on worms, immature insects, larger invertebrates, fish and fish eggs during the day, so to have perch Slurpping Up Jigs
tip jigs with live bait such as minnows, wigglers, earthworms, leeches, wax worms, meal worms or small crayfish will catch Perch. Perch are often caught with artificial lures, on small spinners, jigs or plugs while fishing for walleye or pike.
In spring and fall they are found in shallower weedy areas. In winter they are found in shallow water near but not necessarily in weed beds. Perch remain active all winter long under the ice in both shallow and deeper water, hence they provide the ice fisherman with much sport and many a meal. In summer they move to deeper water, sometimes as deep as 100 feet or close to thermoclime transition area.
Fishing Tactics:
Many angling methods can be used to catch perch. Natural bait (worms, maggots, or eggs) often works well. Keep your hook on or near the bottom, suspended under a float. Cut bait is also used extensively. Jigging is also effective. Most Perch fishing is done vertically or straight down below the boat.
Using small lures that Mimic Minnows is the key, but watch rod tips or floats closely because a Perch will suck in the bait, and can spit it back out and barely move the line.
When ice fishing, drill lots of holes closer to shore, use a natural bait on a bare hook. Find a nice sandy bottom with some old weed beds or bull rush reeds close by for cover.
Perch tend to be in fairly deep water (up to 40 feet) on clear days in the winter the best lures here are Small Super-Glo Lures for easy visability. Although perch are not known for their fighting ability, their large population and readiness to bite make them especially popular with most anglers.
Tips:
A typical perch rig for fishing deep water consists of a sinker on the end of the line with a pair of small hooks tied about a foot apart just above the sinker tipped with pieces of worms, beef, minnows. Most perch are caught 2 or 3 inches off the bottom of the lake. Live bait is usually the bait of choice for most anglers with maggots and meal worms being the most popular. Perch can be caught on just about any small hook, hook and bobber, or a light jig with a bit of beef, meal worm, earthworm or a leech.
You can tip a lead head jig with bait or use a plain j hook with a split shot about six inches above the hook.
The key to catching yellow perch is location. You have to find them to catch them, but once found you can catch them all day in the same spot. Fishing vertically with Jigging Lures
You must find where the fish are holding and feeding at each time of the year to be successful.
Some anglers use depth finders (fish finders) to locate yellow perch but you have to have good bottom distortion because they can be difficult to see on a fish finder when they are lying on or close to the bottom.
When cast fishing with a larger lure slowly raise your hook when near the boat, sometimes Perch will follow a lure from the bottom all the way to the top.
A popular technique to locating Perch, is wind drifting or slow trolling until you catch one. As soon as you catch that first one anchor immediately and fish straight down.
Yellow perch also like to associate close to structure large rocks, old stumps, large weed beds, along the edge of lily pads and reed beds.
Remember, if you are not catching these fish, be flexible and try changing locations. If they seem to all of a sudden disappear, a large pike may be in the area and the Perch have moved into weeds and are not moving until the Predator leaves.
Use perch colored hooks when fishing walleye and pike.
Because these fish are so great in numbers and easy to catch it is one of the best fish to Take A Kid Fishing and teach them how to fish. The shear number of fish caught, will keep young minds busy and the “Dad I’m bored can we go home now” words from being used.
Tackle Rod and Reel:
One of the best things about fishing for perch is that you really need no special or fancy equipment but you do want a light action rod so you can feel or see the light bites. Use a light spinning rod and reel with 6-8 pound test during most of the year and ice fishing rods and gear during winter.
Lures:
A simple J hook and a bobber with a small live bait works best.
Small jigs or grub type jigs
Small tear drops and wobblers
Small spinners and hard baits
Any small ice fishing lures
Cleaning:
1) Perch can be filleted like a Walleye. See Filleting A Walleye.
2) Perch can be scaled like a Pike. See Cleaning A Pike.
3) The most common way is called Skinning Perch Whole.
A) Remove top fins: Starting at the head, use tip of knife, cut just below the skin, follow back bone along one side of the top fins, from head to tail, then repeat and cut skin on other side of top fins, starting at the tail, use your knife to grasp fins between finger and blade, pull the top fins off moving from back to front.
B) Start To Losen Skin: Insert a finger through top where you removed top fin, on each side and work skin loose from top to belly of fish.
C) Separate Head and Meat: Cut through the back bone at top by head, be careful not to cut head all the way off. Grasp the body inside skin with one hand, using other hand grasp fish head and insert thumb into hole you cut behind the head, while you pull down on head and pull towards tail, pull up on fish body meat, as you pull all the insides should be attached to the head and skin. Cut off the bottom anal fin and pull skin rest of way to tail, then cut off tail.
You should know have only the meat of a completely cleaned Perch in one hand and head, skin and innards in the other.
Recipes:
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