With the decline in the walleye population as a result of massive angler kill, yellow perch have become a prominant alternative to the walleye for the midwestern meat fisherman. Yellow perch do not grow large; nor do they fight hard. In the past, their main redeeming factor was their abundance. Sadly, however, yellow perch are now being exploited almost as much as their larger cousin the walleye, although massive yellow perch stocking has not become necessary yet. Yellow perch live in lakes and rivers. Most of the yellow perch you catch will be under a half-pound in weight. Certain lakes are known for "Jumbo Perch" and fishermen target them heavily in these waters. Yellow Perch may be caught using the same tactics as are used for walleye fishing, but the size of the baits must be scaled down somewhat. Yellow Perch do respond well to flies, although their complete lack of size and fighting ability makes it something of a boring sport. But who am I to judge? If I owned a zero-weight flyrod, I would probably be a devoted perch angler. Heck, I might even flyfish for darters...

Yellow perch are usually found in lakes, where they are prime forage for pike, walleyes, whitefish, bass, burbot, and other predators. Perch in rivers may be migratory, so look for them in small to medium-sized rivers connected to larger bodies of water. Perch can be caught on the bottom on nightcrawlers, minnows, and leeches, or fished with a drifting or stationary float. Small jigs and flies can also be very effective.

In the wintertime, the yellow perch is the star of the show in many areas. While many fish become much more difficult to find during the winter, yellow perch are very predictable and can be caught with ease. You might not be the type who enjoys pulling up hundreds of tiny fish through a hole in the ice, but it is certainly better than not fishing at all. Besides, any reservations you might have about perch fishing will quickly disappear once they hit the frying pan.

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