white perch

[chris]

i LOVE catching white perch.  i catching them in brackish coves on the southern ct river just 1 or 2 miles from the ocean.  i usually get them on a slow rolled kastmaster or small jig. some of them can push 2lbs. i only get them for a bout a week in July then the disappear.  any place the could go, or tips on how to catch them.  i have heard of people catching them much further up river in coves in massive numbers and huge fish.  i have never had a chance to try up river.  also are they any good eating?      

[John Sheehan]

I wonder if White Perch  feed heavily on Yellow Perch Fry ,which  is a recognized Walleye food source .We dont have Walleyes  or white Bass in my White Perch /Yellow Perch lake but I wonder if the whites werent there if Yellows would be on the average bigger  than the usually 9-10 "or smaller with the occasional 12" or a bit larger.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

I'm sure they would feed on the fry of any species, if given the chance.

The reason why South Carolina "decommissioned" them from game fish status has something to do with this. Actually there is a two fold reason:

- They are deemed to be competitors of more popular sport fish like stripers....

- They are known predators of fry and eggs.

I'm not intimately familiar with how yellow perch reproduce, but they are not nest builders. They scatter their eggs in a jellylike mass, and there is little parental care. Any white perch worth it's name would happily scarf down on them!

Wikipedia has an excellent little entry on yellow perch, John. I'm wondering if the size of your perch may have more to do with a lack of predation than too much.

[John Sheehan]

Thanks David, as always a good post!