Fishing for Perch

When I was fifteen years old, I scoffed at my father for setting out to catch perch. “Bass are where the good fishing is,” I would tell him with a laugh, because in my book, perch were hardly worth the bait used to catch them. Now I realize how wrong I was about fishing for perch, and how right my father was. I still love to catch bass, catfish, trout and flounder, but perch has its rewards as well.

>Where to Catch Perch

My favorite perch time of the year is in early spring, though perch can be found all year long. They usually swim in schools with other fish of similar size, and during the spring they like to hang out around alcoves and benches in the water. If you wear your polarized sunglasses, you can usually see hundreds of perch in a pond, especially about three feet from the waters’ edge.

Early spring is also the spawning season for perch, so you will see them when the water temperature begins to exceed 50 degrees Fahrenheit. The females spread their eggs in long, sinewy patterns over weed beds and shallow, rocky areas near shore, and you can usually see the males guarding their spawning beds.

>How to Catch Perch

Bass and catfish hit the bait with a large plunge, taking the entire bait into their mouth in one chomp, giving you the chance to set the hook. Perch, on the other hand, prefer to nibble at their food, and if your bait is too large, you’ll get taps but few hooks.

In small ponds with large quantities of perch, you should use a small piece of worm that covers the bare minimum of a size four bait hook. When the perch begins to nibble, it will have a much better chance of actually biting the hook, which will give you a chance to set it.

Tiny minnows also work well with perch, though you run the risk of attracting bass and scaring the perch away. Since I don’t mind catching bass and other fish, minnows work well because I increase my chances of catching something.

The best thing about fishing for perch is that you can catch them on almost anything. I recommend an ultra light line for easier movement – a four-to-six pound tests works great for me. A line with low-stretch adds to your sensitivity. Since perch nibble and don’t bite, you’ll have to be extra careful about feeling the little tap-tap nibbling of perch.

>Perch Cages

My father taught me this trick, and it works rather well. At the end of your pier, set up a wire-mesh cage with two small entrance holes at the bottom where perch can come in. Leave the perch cage in the water overnight, and when you come back down in the morning, you’ll find at least ten perch in each cage you put out. I’ve caught as many as thirty in one night. This works best in four-foot-deep water with limited visibility to the surface. This won’t work as well in lakes and ponds that have alligators, because alligators come to shore at night and often lay on piers when no one is around.

>Eating Perch

Pan-fried perch is one of my all-time favorite meals. Perch is a very fresh, very sweet white meat fish. If you’re going to be cleaning a large amount of perch, make sure that you have a cooler large enough to carry them all back home and that you have several knives of varying lengths and blades. Perch are difficult to clean because they’re so small, so you’ll want to have a few options available.

>Yellow Perch Spines

Be careful when fishing for yellow perch because of the razor-sharp spines on their dorsal fins. If you reach into the water to grab them without looking, you might end up with a nasty cut. To protect your hands, wear gloves or only handle the perch from the underbelly and sides.