Yellow Perch are one of the more commonly caught game fish in much of the United States. One problem with this is that many people who catch yellow perch are not fishing for them, but rather are trying to catch walleye. While I rarely eat anything except walleye and trout, the yellow perch is a delicious fish as well. I guess that I am just too lazy to keep and clean them myself. Luckily my friends often keep them and I get called in for the pleasant job of eating. If you are looking for a fish that isn’t too hard to catch and tastes great, the yellow perch may be for you. Here are some tips to help you catch more yellow perch and perhaps you will catch a walleye or two as well!
Yellow perch are a school fish. If you catch one in an area, get the bait or lure back into that area and you should catch another. This is the most important tip of all as a large school of yellow perch can fill a stringer in little time.
Yellow perch feed all day and often seem to peak at midday. This means that you can sleep in and still catch enough yellow perch for a nice dinner.
The basic minnow or worm under a bobber rig works great for yellow perch. You will probably catch a lot of other fish as well, keep moving until you locate the yellow perch.
Learn to fish with multiple hook rigs. While they can be a nuisance when learning to use them, catching two or more yellow perch at a time can often be accomplished with such a rig.
When fishing with lures or baits, be certain to keep your hook size fairly small. Yellow perch will hit surprisingly big lures but their smallish mouths require a smaller hook. Remember to keep baits near the tip of the hook when possible.
Minnows are probably the most commonly used bait, but pieces of night crawlers, small garden worms, leeches, and about anything else will draw yellow perch to bite.
If you have located a school of yellow perch a simple jig can often be cast or dipped into the area and produce fast action. Even a jig with a small piece of colorful yarn attached to it is a great yellow perch lure.
Twitch lures and baits in the school to make fish more aggressive. Yellow perch will often grab the bait and swim away without a large strike. Keep the lure or bait moving and they will likely strike it harder.
Yellow perch seem to like bright and shiny things. Spinners, spoons, and colorful lures seem to work best for yellow perch.
If you are having trouble locating yellow perch you can slowly troll for them by bouncing a lure or jig along the bottom of a lake. Rocky bottoms are a great place to look for yellow perch.
Use these 10 tips to catch more yellow perch. Get on the water whenever you can to learn what works best in your area and for you. And don’t forget to take a kid along.
