Thread: Yellow perch

Originally Posted by SCOTTY1094

Is there a reason the state does not stock more yellow perch in ne kansas lakes?

Originally Posted by CaptainT16

Thank you for posting again on this Craig. I remembered seeing this picture the other night and wondered where you had found it at. I too would like to see more of these stocked. I'm assume funding would be the issue as to why these are no longer stocked?

Scotty and CaptainT,

There are a number of reasons why yellow perch are not more widely stocked in Kansas public fishing waters. First off, we are on the extreme southern edge of the range of yellow perch and the established populations of these fish have never amounted to much of anything. Although they can persist over time, the populations in these lakes that currently hold yellow perch don't offer a quality fishing experience to anglers as most individuals are small in size and density is low. A yellow perch stocking program would place unneeded competition on more popular fish species such as crappie in Kansas impoundments and there is the potential for negative impacts to the more popular species. I've never heard funding as a reason why to not stock yellow perch more widely in Kansas as it is usually 'biological reasons' that tip the scale in favor of not stocking. Historical stockings produced less than stellar results and interest in additional stockings dropped off.

If you are looking for a quality yellow perch trip, you'll be best heading north!