Time for Perch fishing! Yellow perch is one of the best tasting freshwater fish an angler can catch. Winter and spring perch are best, yielding tasty firm white fillets. Perch are very plentiful in the Great Lakes, but number one on the list is Lake Erie . Perch are literally everywhere in Lake Erie , with anglers targeting them heavily both in the winter months, and in spring through summer.

In spring, large flotillas of boats can be seen targeting them in well known perch grounds, namely Long Point Bay , Rondeau Bay and the mouth of the Grand River . Perch are so abundant in Lake Erie, a commercial fishery still exist for them to this day with local restaurants, in Port Dover and other lakeside establishments, offering freshly caught perch on the menu. The main technique most anglers use to catch Erie jumbo perch, is slowly drifting with "perch rigs" using plain worms or small minnows as bait. Artificials can also be productive when the fish are aggressive, small tube jigs or twister tails are usually the lures of choice. White, yellow, chartreuse and orange all seem to produce good numbers of fish. The Ontario record perch was caught in Lake Erie , weighing a whopping 2.42 lbs and measuring 15.1 inches.

In spring, perch congregate in river mouths and shallow weedy bays to spawn and is the best time of year to target these fish. Later in summer they move into deeper basins and can be more difficult to locate, although they will still school and once you catch one, there will be more around. They can also school with other species, namely walleye and anglers will often hook up with a bonus walleye, when targeting perch. Fish of the same year class, will school together. If you are catching lots of small fish, sometimes it is best to move and look for schools of bigger fish.

Shore fishing opportunities for perch also exist, especially in the spring when perch are inshore, and anglers will flock to piers and river mouths where fishing can be hot. Timing is everything and once they move into these areas, anglers can fill their limit quickly. Give perch a try and enjoy a fun day of fishing.