Perch'n St. Claire

[fish fanatic jr.]

My dad and I are planning on going perch fishing this weekend what would be our best bet or should we wait for the water temp to get alittle warmer. Also does any one fish the 9 mile area during the srping season.Thanks

[MiketheElder]

They're done spawning now but they still may be hanging around. 9 Mile has potential anytime. A good fishfinder is a must.

[jd_7655]

I would try anchor bay. I was there late last week and caught some nice ones from shore 10 -11 inchers.

[gsepan]

They're done spawning now but they still may be hanging around. 9 Mile has potential anytime. A good fishfinder is a must.

There not done spawning yet... Pulling some females from my canal at the north end of the lake and their still loaded with eggs. Water temp is still to cold yet but within the next few days they should start IMHO.

[Gone Fishing]

I don’t think they are done spawning either. I have a feeling those big jumbos are still out deep. I plan to give it a try this weekend as well and my gut is telling me Mitchell’s Bay will be part of the search along with a few other Fall spots on the Canadian side. :) If I can't find them Friday, you'll probably see me on the river later in the weekend although I prefer Perch over Walleye. :)

[just ducky]

I don’t think they are done spawning either. I have a feeling those big jumbos are still out deep. I plan to give it a try this weekend as well and my gut is telling me Mitchell’s Bay will be part of the search along with a few other Fall spots on the Canadian side. :) If I can't find them Friday, you'll probably see me on the river later in the weekend although I prefer Perch over Walleye. :)

:yeahthat:

DONE SPAWNING???? No disrespect, but I THINK NOT!!! Must be trying to fool the nimrods?

[limige]

yeah, i haven't caught one milking or spewing eggs yet! they're not done...

[gsepan]

Yellow-Perch Perca flavescens

Species overview: Yellow perch are native to the northern United States east of the Rocky Mountains and Atlantic Coast watersheds south to South Carolina. They have also been widely introduced throughout the country and are distributed across Pennsylvania in appropriate habitat. Yellow perch are popular with open-water anglers and ice fishermen. Yellow perch were netted commercially in Lake Erie. The genus name “Perca” means “perch,” and the species name “flavescens” means “yellow.”

Identification: Yellow perch have a long-looking body, but they are not as slim in appearance as other perch family species. The upper part of the head, back and sides is olive-green to golden-brown, shading to lighter yellow-green or yellow on the sides. The underside is white or grayish. Some back and side scales are dark and form a pattern of six to nine vertical stripes that narrow as they approach the belly. These stripes are a perch’s most distinctive feature. The pectoral, pelvic and anal fins are pale-yellow, becoming bright-orange on breeding-season males. The tail is slightly forked. The two dorsal fins are separated. The front dorsal fin has 13 to 15 sharp spines, and one or two spines can be found on the leading edge of the rear dorsal fin. The rest of the rear dorsal fin has soft rays. The anal fin has two spines, and there is a spine on the trailing edge of the gill cover, or opercle.

Habitat: Yellow perch live in a variety of aquatic habitats, including warm or cool lakes, ponds and sluggish streams. A prime yellow perch lake is cool and clear, with a sandy or gravelly bottom and rooted underwater vegetation. They also inhabit lakes with soft bottoms. Yellow perch are considered shallow-water dwellers and are not usually caught more than 30 feet deep.

Life history: Yellow perch spawn in spring, April and May, when water temperatures are in the mid-40s to mid-50s. This is usually about a week after walleyes spawn. Yellow perch males, which are smaller than females, move into the spawning areas first. Selected spawning sites are five to 10 feet deep in inland lakes, and over aquatic vegetation, submerged brush or along sand or gravelly shorelines. Big female perch can produce up to 100,000 eggs, but most produce 15,000 to 25,000 eggs. Spawning occurs at night and early morning. The females are accompanied by several males, which swim alongside or behind them. The eggs are deposited in a unique form–a long, sticky gelatinous mass that drapes over underwater objects. The accordionlike transparent egg mass absorbs water rapidly after it is emitted and swells, sometimes reaching seven feet long and weighing up to two pounds. The egg mass is semi-buoyant and moves gently with water currents and waves. Bad weather may cause the egg mass to be torn up and washed onto land. Unlike the sunfishes, yellow perch parents do not remain to guard the nest, eggs or young.

Yellow perch eggs take eight to 25 days to hatch, or longer. The hatching time of these and other fish eggs depends on water temperature. Hatching takes longer in cool water, a shorter time in warmer water. Newly hatched yellow perch head for deep water, where they form free-swimming schools. After about a month, they return to shallower water, and like the adults, live near the bottom. Young perch feed on zooplankton and small aquatic insects, and in turn are food for larger predator fish. Small fish, including small perch, are mainstays of the adult perch’s diet. Adult perch also eat aquatic insects and crustaceans.

Yellow perch typically forage during daylight hours. They feed little or not at all at night. They are active all year long, including under the ice, making them a favorite with ice fishermen, who catch them on jigging rods and tip-ups. Minnows and jigs are popular perch-getters.

In small lakes, yellow perch may overpopulate, resulting in stunted, slow-growing fish. Perch commonly grow to 12 inches and may reach 14 inches. Even at a young age, the females grow faster than the males, and as adults, they are larger. Yellow perch sometimes travel in schools of from 50 to 200 individuals. The schools stay in deeper, darker areas during the day and move closer to the shallows to feed as evening approaches. Perch schools usually contain perch all of the same size, which are also generally the same age, or year-class. At times males and females roam in separate schools. In a lake, perch schools show migratory movements according to the season and the time of day, in response to temperature, food availability and spawning urge.

[salmonslammer]

Everthing you need/want to know about Perch


That's all good and everything....except where they are at!!!:D


Water temps off Fairhaven ranged from 38to 44 on Sunday...Can't tell ya if they are done spawning yet....seeing how we didn't catch any!!!:rolleyes:

Did mark a ton of fish of off the point in 10 FOW;)

[Gone Fishing]

Did mark a ton of fish of off the point in 10 FOW;)
Huron Point? That would figure, I’ll run to Mitchell’s Bay and the big schools of Perch are a mile from my house!:p

[salmonslammer]

Huron Point?

I think it's called Sand Point????? (Then again we make up our own names sometimes:p )

If you were coming out of the fairhaven launch it would be the point to the SW.....

Watch it if you head out that way....Gets REAL shallow on the bar!!!

[Gone Fishing]

If you see me in the bay, that means I’ve burned all my fuel and I’m very desperate for a dinner. :p ;) Nothing against Anchor Bay but I never seem to do well there. :(

[salmonslammer]

but I never seem to do well there

I hear ya....Seems like it's either feast or famine in there...Usully the later!!


Gonna hit up harsens on the next trip....Well soon as I get my gasket fixed anyways...:rolleyes:

[gsepan]

If you see me in the bay, that means I’ve burned all my fuel and I’m very desperate for a dinner. :p ;) Nothing against Anchor Bay but I never seem to do well there. :(

Hey John,

Is the water clearing up on the canuck side yet? It sure has been milky over there for quite some time now... you may have to break down and fish for dinks up in Anchor Bay this weekend. I've managed 6lbs of fillets so far... send me a pm if you want a hot spot right out your back door.

[William H Bonney]

They've been spewing eggs and milt on Erie for over a week now. I caught mostly small(8 to 9's) males this past weekend that looked like "darts". No milt left in 'em.:rolleyes:

[Gone Fishing]

Hey John,

Is the water clearing up on the canuck side yet?
Greg, I just put the boat in the water last night so I haven't ventured over there yet. I'm planning on heading out Friday to do some scouting. Mitchell's may very well be dirty along with much of the south shore. If that's the case I'll probably work between the South Channel and the Johnson.

[fish eater]

I'm sure different schools (of fish) do different things in different spots and/or different areas of the Lake. Some bays and some areas either warm/cool faster than others. I can only tell ya about some of my hotspots. I had lots of 8-10 inch Perch starting to spew a week and a half ago. In my areas the Perch are done spawning and long gone! I know this because Perch always spawn before Cals. Once the Cals move in (along with all those huge Gills), they push the Perch right out of the areas. And since I've been poundin' the bejesus (Sat. and Sun. 4-8 & 4-9 were slow, coldfront:sad: ) out of the Cals for the last 7 consecutive days, (Moved in, schooled up good Thurs. 4-6) well, the Perch in my areas of LSC are buh-bye.;):evil:

[fish fanatic jr.]

Thanks for all the help all. Just may have to go jumbo fishing.

[MiketheElder]

A couple of weeks ago I caught perch around the marinas at 9-10 mile. Last weekend didn't see but a couple. Maybe the drains that come out down that way spewed a lot of warmer runoff from the rains the last couple of weeks. Ergo, warmer water, earlier spawn in that area.

Maiden voyage Friday, I hope. Maybe I'll try Anchor Bay for the first time out.

[Fecus]

I caught a big girl in my marina in the 9-mile area. She was a good 12 inches & cchock full of eggs. Caught her on a tube jig & let her go.