Thread: Early Perch

Nice catch, we don't have them in the deep south!

They say some clouds have silver linings. I use to envy our northern friends when they were catching perch in the winter time. Our cloud in the lower states is the White Perch has established huge populations in a lot of our lakes and can adversely affect crappie and other species.
The silver lining is they are good to eat and in the winter they school up around bait balls and when you find them the action is fast and furious, especially if you get into a school of 1 to 1.5 pound fish.
So now when you guys talk about winter perch fishing I get excited too.
Matter if fact I was in Toledo, Ohio last week and bought some perch rigs(minnow) at the BPS to see how they work down here.
SeaRay

Originally Posted by Blackhawk19

Nice catch, we don't have them in the deep south!

Originally Posted by SeaRay

They say some clouds have silver linings. I use to envy our northern friends when they were catching perch in the winter time. Our cloud in the lower states is the White Perch has established huge populations in a lot of our lakes and can adversely affect crappie and other species.
The silver lining is they are good to eat and in the winter they school up around bait balls and when you find them the action is fast and furious, especially if you get into a school of 1 to 1.5 pound fish.
So now when you guys talk about winter perch fishing I get excited too.
Matter if fact I was in Toledo, Ohio last week and bought some perch rigs(minnow) at the BPS to see how they work down here.
SeaRay

I know, but you fella's have those "Big Crappie" Wanna trade some? I don't think I ever seen a whit Perch?

We have plenty of good white perch fishing up here too! Usually folks down south and out west refer to a fish, resembling our white perch, as white bass. I checked with our DNR rep and sure enough, they are two different species. The really good perch fishing won't start up here until the water temps get down less than 50 degrees. (Usually mid October until ice up.) Then the big "bull perch" come into the oxbows and fishing is good.

Actually we have a white perch. They are most closely related to the striped bass. but are a completely different species than the white bass which we also have.

This is a picture of the white perch we have in our lakes. They are quite prolific and the SC DNR delsted them as a gamefish a couple of years ago because they believe they are responsible for the decline of crappie and white bass. They follow them during the spawn and devour the eggs and fry. Since they are not a gamefish there are no limits on size or number. Lots of folks keep the smaller ones to use for catfish bait, which seems to work well. The larger ones are very good eating.
SeaRay

Forgot to add that the White Perch is not a true perch but a member of the temperate bass family which explains the relation to the striper. Not sure how it got misnamed but While Perch is what he is officially listed as. Kinda like a Largemouth Bass is actually in the Sunfish family. Go figure.
SeaRay

I have caught quite a few of them, but thought they were White Bass. Never tried eating any, and everybody always threw them back.

Nice catch! I've been catching them by the dozen in south dakota. Late summer and early fall are the best times up here. Now we call those "white perch" drum fish up here because they make a sound like a drum roll. Our gfp made them a "non-game" fish also and some people say they taste like crap, but I like to eat them. As long as you keep them cold until you clean them they taste great. I will say they put up a great fight, I always think they are something alot bigger until I can see them.