Perch Fishing Tips

The Best Perch Fishing Tips

Welcome to Apex Fishing Tips, this section of our website is all about perch fishing. On this web page you'll learn about perch (white and yellow perch) and perch fishing. The below information will help you catch bigger perch, in large quantities, more often. Anglers of all skill levels will benefit from our perch fishing tips and information.

Below you'll find 8 perch fishing tips that will increase your odds of catching perch, specifically yellow perch and white perch. Our perch fishing tips are useful to both novice and expert anglers. We're always looking for more perch fishing tips, if you would like to share how you catch perch, please contact us and tell us.

In addition to our 8 perch fishing tips we're going to teach you about yellow perch and white perch. We've also provided you with the latest all-tackle world fishing records for both white and yellow perch. If you need additional information on how to catch to perch, you'll find more resources at the end of this page and some perch fishing pictures.



8 Perch Fishing Tips

  1. Perch can be found throughout the United States due to stocking programs. However, they're native in many areas and abundant in the Great Lakes. In fact, some smaller lakes and ponds can be dominated by perch, especially if their population isn't controlled by predators (bass, walleye, etc.). Do some research on lakes, ponds and rivers in your area to see if they contain perch.
  2. Live bait is the best way to catch perch, and the hands down best live bait for perch is soft shells (crayfish). A simple fishing rig setup using a bobber, weight and hook with soft shell bait will catch perch all day. Perch will also bite on waxworms, smaller worms and fathead minnows.
  3. When using live bait to catch perch you need to properly attach it to your hook, or you'll just get robbed of your bait all day. Make sure you use a number #4 bait hook, if your hook is too big, they'll just nibble the bait off and if its too small they'll swallow it. Use small pieces of live bait and make sure the barb is exposes, don't bury the barb in your bait.
  4. Perch are schooling fish and travel in large groups. You can get the biggest bang for your buck by using a crappie rig to catch perch. This is a simple rig that has multiple hooks, allowing you to test different types of live bait and depths. You can buy a premade crappie rig online, at a bait shop or an outdoor retail store. If you don't want to spend the money on premade crappie rigs search online for guides on how to make your own.
  5. There are other fishing rigs that you can use to catch perch besides the crappie rig. We recommend you try the slip bobber rig; this allows you to set the depth of your bait and maintains your casting accuracy. In shallow waters, you can use the three-way rig, just make sure you use a floating jig to keep your bait off the bottom.
  6. You don't need to use live bait to catch perch and many anglers prefer using jigs and/or lures. A small jig and plastic can get perch all day if you have the right color combinations. Lures that mimic small bait fish also do a good job at catching perch. Some anglers swear by spoons and spinners, but we find those to be less productive than jigs with plastics.
  7. Perch travel in schools and like to move around a lot. You can be out on a pier without any results and suddenly, the perch start biting like crazy. It's important to make the most of a perch school, as they can leave just as quickly as they appeared. Don't waste time between catches, use a bucket filled with water to toss in keeper perch and quickly return the ones you don't want. If you're using live bait, make sure it's ready to roll, trying to cut up your worms and soft shells before you start fishing.
  8. Perch are the main course for a lot of predatory fish, like bass, walleye and muskie. Therefore, they tend to feed more actively during the day than night. They're the most active after the sun has risen and in the late afternoon before the sun sets. They love to use cover and structure for protection, it's rare to find a school of perch in open water, they would be sitting ducks for predators. You'll find perch around dock or pier pilings, weed beds, sunken trees and anywhere else that could provide them protection from predators.


About Perch (Perca)

Yellow Perch (perca flavescens)

Perch is the name of a fish species that is a member of the Perca genus. There are three species of perch in the Perca genus, the yellow perch (Perca flavescens), the European perch (Perca fluviatilis) and the Balkhash perch (Perca schrenkii). The yellow perch is found in North America, the European perch is found in Europe, the Balkhash parch is found in Asia.

Yellow perch are very popular among anglers in North America. Yellow perch can be found in abundance in the Great Lakes and many other lakes and rivers across North America. They have a goldish-yellow color with greyish-black vertical stripes running along their body. Yellow perch are common in the diet of other popular game fish, like walleye and northern pike. They like to feed on small bait fish, crustaceans and insects.



Perch Fishing Records

The below International Game Fish Association (IGFA) perch world fishing records are up to date as of 2019.



Perch Fishing Pictures

A european perch caught while fishing

A picture of a european perch (P. fluviatilis) caught on a fishing trip.
(Credit: Mo Hassan / Flickr)

A white perch caught while fishing

A picture of a white perch (M. americana) caught on a fishing trip.
(Credit: Ohio Sea Grant / Flickr)

A yellow perch caught while fighting

A picture of a yellow perch (P. flavescens) caught on a fishing trip.
(Credit: Virginia DGIF / Flickr)



Perch Fishing Resources