11" Yellow Perch

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Comment by Jason Preslar on January 22, 2013 at 12:25pm

Thanks Dick, I'm hoping to get a bigger one this year.

Comment by dick tabbert on January 21, 2013 at 3:24pm

Jason that's a decent yellow perch.

Comment by Jason Preslar on January 21, 2013 at 2:13pm

Stunted? Not sure. I have a friend that's caught them close to 14", i think. Also, i've never just hammered away for long periods of time to try to catch them either. This year, that'll change. I catch them almost as often as i catch the gills and crackers there. There also has been white perch found there in the past too. They say white perch are not great in big numbers. Hopefully I can get some bigger yellows this year.

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on January 21, 2013 at 1:31pm

The yellow perch is well outside of its native range, today. Without knowing the details, this at least suggests that they have been "spread around." Around here, some old timers call them "Eisenhowers." I'm told this is because they were introduced back in the 50's during DDE's administration and the name stuck. Odds are good you got them in your BOW the same way. .

Here, in SC, we have a 30/day limit on yellow perch - but no limit on white perch. I fish a large lake (55K acres), at least known for its yellows, if not renowned for them... I have yet to reach a 30/day limit! LOL

I catch them on worms, spinners, small spoons and so on. I just don't see them in consistent numbers. Partly this is because the lake is very large and under those conditions, yellows tend to school offshore in more open water. Where they have they have the 'elbow room,' they take it. I am certain my lake has the necessary factors that grow large specimens, too; I just don't get out to them. I'm pretty certain the ones I see are smaller, inshore stragglers.

Im wondering if the ones you have are not stunted from overpopulation. They are VERY prolific, after all. I should think that where you catch many small ones you should occasionally nail a large one. Interesting.

Ill get a copy of the article and see if I can't get it to you.

Comment by Jason Preslar on January 21, 2013 at 12:02pm

David, I'd like to read the article you're referring to. I usually catch the yellow perch on nightcrawlers and live minnows. But, in this particular BOW I literally haven't found an area that they aren't active in. I catch them side by side with bass, bluegill, pickerel, and crappie. The BOW I find them in is at a maximum app.30' deep, from what i've been told and seen on my friend's depth finder. I catch these fish in open water and in cover alike. They weren't stocked purposely by the wildlife folks, they "just showed up". They have an unlimited creel limit on them due to direct competition with the bluegills from what i understand.

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on January 21, 2013 at 11:33am

The yellow perch is an interesting critter. If I may, here's some info I picked up on them. Maybe it will help.

During certain times of year they can be found in the shallows, especially the spawn. This is in the early spring, when the water is in the mid 60's. But they don't build nests - they deposit their eggs in gelatin like masses on plants and wood, at night or early morning. Then they abandon them. Unlike many gamefish, they are not at all parental.

One of the neatest things about them is their night habit, once the spawn is over. When the sun goes down, they find a clean section of bottom and for all intents, go to sleep. They lay there on the bottom until daybreak, when they mass up and go back to their schooling habits. It is also interesting to note that they are the dumbest of freshwater fishes. In studies, it was observed that where other fish learn to evade danger, they do not. Instead, they rely on safety in numbers.

Except for those short spawning periods in the shallows, they are essentially cooler, deeper water fish. They are kin to the walleye and their preferred temperature range is around 20 degrees C (63 to 77°F,) a bit lower than other panfish. Thus, the better odds for them favor 20-30 feet of water, over clean bottoms. If you have a BOW with this kind of depth and a boat you are halfway there. This is not to say they wont be found elsewhere - I occasionally luck up on them from the shore. But not in any significant numbers.

You say you catch a lot, though, so I'd like to hear about the depth you catch them in and the bait. You may be working with a localized adaptation, or some unique bit of structure that accommodates them..

Like most fish, they follow their food, which are schools of minnows or other small baitfish, like shad. The larger schools of these are most often offshore, which is where the bigger perch should also be found. 

Winter also happens to be the best time to catch yellows here in the South. At this time of year, the baitfish are stressed due to the cold and they tend to ball up tight into large masses. Often, when it turns just cold enough, the baitfish will become disoriented and/or die outright. The perch (and several other species) shadow these tight schools and wait for this to happen, which presents them with an easy meal. It also concentrates them so, find the baitfish hordes at the proper depth, and you should find large perch in schooling numbers.

If you like, I can get you a copy of the article. It is very informative and would probably translate well to your waters.

Comment by Jason Preslar on January 21, 2013 at 10:49am

Jeffrey, in the warmer months i catch tons of these. This is the biggest one i've caught. It's not a monster by any means, but the biggest i've caught this far along. (I intend on changing that this year) Not necessarily during the spawn though.

David, I live in NC, this body of water is actually in the very edge of VA though. I love catching these fish.

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on January 21, 2013 at 10:02am

Fun fish. One of my faves. Dont know where you are Jason, but there was a good article on catching them in "SC Sportsman" this month.

Comment by Jeffrey D. Abney on January 21, 2013 at 9:40am

Nice Yellow Perch Jason....you ever catch them in bunches during the spawn?