Perch

The yellow perch is a species of perch found in the United States and Canada, where it is often referred to by the short form perch. Yellow perch look similar to the European perch but are paler and more yellowish, with less red in the fins. They have 6-8 dark vertical bars on their sides. The yellow perch is in the same family as the walleye and sauger, but in a different family from the white perch.

Yellow perch size can vary greatly between bodies of water, but adults are usually between 4-10 inches in length and weigh about 5.29 oz on average. The perch can live for up to 11 years, and older perch are often much larger than average; the maximum recorded length is 21.0 inches and the largest recorded weight is 4.2 lb. Large yellow perch are often called "jumbo perch."

The perch reach sexual maturity at one to three years of age for males and two to three years of age for females. Spawning occurs at the end of April or beginning of May, depositing 5,000 to 100,000 eggs upon weeds, or the branches of trees or shrubs that have become immersed in the water. After fertilization the eggs hatch in 11 to 27 days depending on temperature and other weather conditions.

Yellow Perch are one of the finest flavored of all panfish, and this has led to misuse of their name in the restaurant industry. Menus will sometimes list "White Perch", "Rock Perch" or simply "Perch" that are actually other species, usually panfish in the (sunfish) family.

The best time for fishing for perch is from June to November in Canada and the best time for fishing them in the United States is perhaps September to February, though they bite reasonably well all year and are readily taken through the ice. They haunt the neighborhood of heavy deep eddies, camp sheathings, beds of weeds, with sharp streams near trees or bushes growing in or overhanging the water. The best baits for perch are minnows, earthworms, shrimp and artificial lures. The tackle should be light. If fishing off the shore, one can use the simple but effective bobber and bait technique, or just cast and slowly retrieve. If fishing from a boat, tie on a snap swivel to your line then adding a small weight to it along with a #5 snelled hook. Bait the hook with a whole earthworm and drop the line directly below the boat. Let the bait sink all the way down to the bottom, and when reaching the bottom, reel it up a little to keep it suspended above the bottom. Keep the line tight or you won't feel the Perch's bite. A lot of the time the bite is very light. Perch have an uncanny way of biting on the bait without the angler knowing it. Also be aware that Rainbow Trout, Bluegill, and various other fishes may strike the line, so be prepared for a tense fight if using heavier pound test line. For you local Chicago folks or anyone who fishes in and around the great lakes, I have caught perch in some local lakes and in Canada but I fish for them all winter at the Chicago Lakefront and have caught some very nice perch out of Lake Michigan. I have not fished for them in the summer there but I have heard that you can get them in the summer also but they are in one day and out the next. Smallmouth can be great at the lakefront also. Breakwalls and harbors. I actually caught a smallie about 7 inches long in January while fishing for perch!