Some years the lake freezes and winter ice fishing for perch is second to none. The limit is 6 fish per angler. There is plenty of excellent perch habitat among the small islands. "We top out at about 14 inches — 1½ pounds or so — rarely bigger," he says. Please keep in mind the weather during the time of the year you are scheduling your fishing trip. Bank fishing is pretty much limited to Lake Sammamish State Park at the south end; a large multi-lane boat ramp is located there as well.

If you arrive at the marina and are lodging with us and we have to cancel due to weather your deposit can be applied to another day or will be refunded. 5 Best Trolling Rods for Trout: Our Top Picks, How to Catch Lake Whitefish in Washington State, 11 Best Surf Fishing Lures You Need to Try, 6 Best Lakes for Big Kokanee in Washington State, Bluegill Fishing in Washington: Everything You Need to Know, 7 Best Rods For Surfperch Fishing (Our Top Picks), A Complete Guide to Cleaning Your Fishing Gear.

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Just be cautious during your hunt for schools of perch.

The walleye fishing in June starts to become consistent with the beginning of stable weather. Just off Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the storied waters of 14,000-acre Lake Gogebic routinely produce behemoths locals call "teeter pigs," because they don't tip over when placed on their bellies. Fishing is good all season on the north shore, but spring, and especially fall, seem to be peaks." Most citations on Lake Erie is because the fisherman forgot to sign and date their fishing license.
"There's always a chance at catching trophy fish because the lake's perch size structure is good, but abundance is low," says fishery biologist Joe Deromedi. Boat ride from the Wild Wings Marina can be as short as 5 minutes. On the flip side, he's found perch pushing 16 inches in small, public lakes that were stocked then forgotten. Fish average 10 to 12 inches and the bite is best during June and July, although you can catch perch all season. "Mature perch chase juvenile smelt along the outer edges of weedlines in the bays, typically in 7 to 10 feet of water," he says. There is also a nice launch at the park. One of the planet's premier perch producers is southern Ontario's Lake Simcoe. He favors a Clam Blade Spoon with a live wiggler on each treble tine. While perch certainly don’t garner attention like bass and trout, they are well worth the effort. July has the highest catch rate of any month according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. You can target salmon in coastal waters and walleye in the desert… all in the same day! Finding them isn't easy, though. Pay a small day use fee to fish from the dock where you can expect to catch perch over 12 inches and the occasional slab crappie. April is walleye spawning time. "One of the hottest bites runs from ice-out through most of May," he says. As the water begins to warm after the spawn, we transition to either casting worm harnesses of trolling. Fishing is good all season on the north shore, but spring, and especially fall, seem to be peaks." Simple fishing tactics work well everywhere in Lake Washington. To make it easier to choose, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite perch waters in Washington State. Standard perch techniques yield decent catches. Sag-bellied perch topping a pound or two are prized catches.

Nestled between lakes Winnipeg and Manitoba, it offers a variety of waters large and small offering stellar perch fishing. Here’s a quick look at the 9 best lakes for perch fishing in Washington State: Seattle isn’t called the Emerald City for nothing and Lake Washington is its crown jewel. We are a professional and full-time charter fishing business. He believes the days of Cascade's giants are numbered. The decision on how you, as the customer, want to fish is up to you. Gronaw says that once boat traffic subsides in fall, Deep Creek offers opportunities to float-fish stands of green vegetation in 7 to 20 feet of water.
A lindy rig tipped with a leech, wiggler (hellgrammite), or blood worm is a great way to target them. Rods and reels "Fifteen- and 16-inchers have been caught, but aren't common," he notes. If you are looking for drag screaming action, this is the place to be.

"A couple of years ago, an isolated lake developed a booming population.

You can also access the main lake at Potholes State Park.

"Today's 15-inchers are offspring of stocked fish," Allen says. A similar situation occurs on southern Lake of the Woods," he says. If you have a boat, use it. They are delicious eating too. "But the bite is seasonal," he says.

"The winners had over 10 pounds for their heaviest 10 fish," he says. They're rare in most waters, but you can boost your odds by targeting key waters rich in finned footballs. A fish finder is worth its weight in gold for locating moving schools of fish. Scooteney Park and Campground on the east bank provides excellent camping amenities as well as a good boat launch. ", Farther south, In-Fisherman contributor Jim Gronaw reports that western Maryland's 3,900-acre Deep Creek Lake remains a standout, with rotund 14-inchers common and 2-pounders taken every year. 4. He says jumbos strike everything from small spoons to bass-sized tubes and grubs. And see how the TakLogic gel will even keep a cell phone in place. All Rights Reserved. 12 inch perch are common and 2 pounders aren’t unheard of. Thirteen-year-old Tia Wiese put Idaho's Cascade Lake on the map in January 2015, when the 2-pound 11.68-ounce perch she caught the previous March was recognized by the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame as a new ice-fishing tip-up world record. "It has a history of perch over 2 pounds," he says. Privacy Policy. The weed lines immediately to the north of the park supply abundant schools of perch worth chasing.

Interested in fishing for other popular gamefish in Washington State?

Ice fishing is also very popular for perch.

On smaller systems and even some large lakes, harvest pressure can quickly pluck a strong year-class. Late fall and winter are top times for these fertile, shallow waters, after thick aquatic vegetation thins out. Perch average 8 to 9 inches with the occasional 10 inch plus fish thrown in.

Pyzer praises the Shoal Lake system, in particular, and Guide Donovan Pearase says anglers push the envelope each season, uncovering new waters where breaking the 15-inch barrier becomes reality. "It's a different style of fishing, more like waiting for a trophy buck to come along than chasing numbers of fish." Bass, trout, tiger muskie and perch provide ample opportunity to hone your angling skills.

"The top 10 teams all had great weights, and a buddy of mine iced one over 2 pounds. He adds there's a solid summertime bite from late June into August, with a variety of presentations from deadsticking to crankbait trolling producing fish virtually lake-wide. This long, narrow lake spans over 6,700 acres and delivers some of the best perch fishing in Washington State. This relatively shallow, stump infested lake is still one of the best kept secrets for warmwater species in Pierce County.

Please make sure the weather is favorable on the day of your charter. Summer fishing is difficult because they spread out in deep water. In January 2015, Wyoming's Boysen Reservoir produced a 15.25-incher weighing 2.28 pounds, setting a new record there. In spring, he targets rock shorelines and backwaters. Once again, tracking down perch involves finding weed edges and structure in 20 to 40 feet of water. Even so, you won’t find much competition for yellow perch here. Just a hop, skip and a jump away from Lake Washington is another excellent perch producer. Ample public bank access is scattered all over this huge 27,800 acre reservoir. Target deeper pockets for fat fish perfect for the frying pan. Black Bay, a 45-minute drive east of Thunder Bay, is particularly noteworthy. You’ll find most yellow perch schooling in 15 to 25 feet of water around numerous points and island edges.

Lake Kapowsin regularly yields largemouth bass over 5 pounds and both perch and crappie over 10 inches are not surprising. The lure has a wonderful flash as it rolls in the water and gets takes from perch, pike and zander. Safety is our #1 priority and all weather-related decisions are at the sole discretion of Daze Off Charters. Check out the best destinations in Washington for walleye, crappie and surfperch. Bass and trout fishing generally steal the show but more anglers are learning that yellow perch are very abundant and grow to impressive sizes in Lake Washington.

With so many fishing options, it’s no wonder that yellow perch get overlooked by so many anglers. The range is designed to represent baitfish fish in trouble or injured. Boat launches are dispersed around the lake but popular launches include Gene Coulon Park on the south end and Magnuson Park on the northwest shore. "Almost all trophy perch are caught through the ice.". Washington’s beauty is once again showcased on this urban lake. Freshwater shrimp and other bite-sized invertebrates fuel the fishery. American Lake is a great fishing spot for families and kids who will enjoy watching for the frequent flights of military aircraft.

The Great Lakes offer several first-class perch opportunities for anglers to find roaming schools or else target prime times when fish school near shore. Be advised that the Department of Health has issued fish consumption advisories and recommends eating only small amounts of yellow perch each month due to pollution.

", In Nebraska, panfish fan and fishery biologist Daryl Bauer says booming populations of Great Plains perch quickly wither under the onslaught of eager anglers. Our first stop on the east side of the Cascades is Moses Lake. July walleye fishing the past 4 seasons has been hands down the best of all months. Good fishing occurs just about everywhere on the lake. Fish range in size from 8-12 inches. Countless stumps hide just beneath the surface and we don’t recommend traveling fast. We fish the western basin reef complex of Lake Erie where millions of walleye come to spawn in the spring and feed on the massive schools of bait fish and the billions of mayflies that hatch ever summer.

Not all lakes are created equal though. Northeast South Dakota remains a fine choice, too. ", Manitoba's Interlake Region also merits mention. However, perch fishing is excellent in all conditions.

Sag-bellied perch topping a pound or two are prized catches.

Bigger fish are singled out using jigging raps or spoons. American Lake is heavily stocked with rainbow trout and kokanee and you’ll find that  most anglers on the water are not after perch. The north end of the lake is best accessed by the Connelly Park boat launch. We start the season at ice out using hair jigs targeting spawning walleye. Other notable big-perch opportunities include North Dakota's legendary Devils Lake, which produces numbers of 3/4- to 1-pound fish and occasional sows over 2. American Lake is a 1,090 acre lake situated south of Seattle in the city of Lakewood.