Yellow Perch

[Reel_Nut]

Just a question, Anyone out there eat yellow perch? I was told that Summit lake is a great place to fish for them and i was just wondering what they taste like.

[jd39]

Yellow perch are great eating! Easy to fillet and skin, take the ribs off and cut out the pin bones and you have a boneless fillet ready for batter and frying which is the best way to eat them in my opinion. Also great in fish tacos. Most lakes have no min size and no limit, go get 'em!
I use ultra light gear with light drags, it can be a lot of fun. Good luck!

[racfish]

Fried Perch are excellent. During summer monts a few of us go out to the U district and catch large perch. We go home clean a bucket full and heat the oil up. The larger ones we filet and the smaller ones get skinned only.

[fishinChristian]

One of the best. Many people rate walleye as the best, and they are basically just large toothy perch. Some difference, but both are great!

[skagit510]

they are way Good to eat, and overppopulate so retention leads to larger individuals, much like kokes. Good advice above on prep and bones. Good luck they are my favorite. also at last check no limits in effect, however check regs as its been a,while for me. also look for Weeds and cover and fish near the bottom. they eat flies readily, but the most effective is a worm, light biters pay attention.

[jd39]

Anyone have tips on how to catch these guys during the winter on the west side? Can't seem to figure it out, going to try dropshotting more with jigs and artificial baits, seems like it should be effective in deeper water. The go to worm on a hook has been striking out in the cold.

[iwilfish]

Try wax worms which you can get at petco, or a little bit of worm, or a maggot if you can find them on the west side, on a jig like a swedish pimple, Kastmaster, crippled herring etc. try using up to 1/2 oz lures. (this discourages the little ones) if and when you get one, switch to a perch eye on the hook. There are lot's of guys that do it better than me but when it does work for me this is what does it. more important than the lure is finding them though. that's the part I have trouble with. The advice from skagit510 about weeds seems sound to me.

[skagit510]

Anyone have tips on how to catch these guys during the winter on the west side? Can't seem to figure it out, going to try dropshotting more with jigs and artificial baits, seems like it should be effective in deeper water. The go to worm on a hook has been striking out in the cold.

try a white roostertail and a size 70 orange frog hotshot. strange lures yes, they may yield you some strange results. the fact the worm is striking out though is troubling. are,they there? use,a very small piece of the worm, i like the tail, bout a half inch worth. thread it on. the biggest ones I've ever caught however were on the abovelures.

[jd39]

Thanks iwilfish and skagit!
Skagit, do you tie the roostertail on like a dropshot hook? I've only ever cast and trolled them. Will give it a shot!
Finding them has been one of my problems too but even when the finder is marking away with fish suspended right off the bottom i can't figure out what they'll bite down there. Tried worms and a bunch of different powerbaits for panfish and trout (in case they were trout).
Not a problem spring, summer, fall but come winter i either catch fish trolling or not at all. Will try some of your suggestions.

[dea]

Anyone have tips on how to catch these guys during the winter on the west side? Can't seem to figure it out, going to try dropshotting more with jigs and artificial baits, seems like it should be effective in deeper water. The go to worm on a hook has been striking out in the cold.

try a white roostertail and a size 70 orange frog hotshot. strange lures yes, they may yield you some strange results. the fact the worm is striking out though is troubling. are,they there? use,a very small piece of the worm, i like the tail, bout a half inch worth. thread it on. the biggest ones I've ever caught however were on the abovelures.

Not strange at all. I catch them with small plugs, small spinners, and small plastics. Anything small can work on Perch as long as you get it in front of them.

[skagit510]

just cast and retrieve, slowly. orange white and brown and olive can produce for flies and jigs too.