Article on yellow perch populations

[hoppy63]

I'm from the Saginaw bay area, by what I've seen in the last several years it is definitely not a bait preference change, it is a lack of perch. Just look at the commercial guys and their declining catches.

I for sure am no expert, but what I've heard as far as commercial fishing decline does coincide with the article and the issue (I've heard) is not finding the fish, but the fish are scattered through the water column as opposed to being mainly on or near bottom where we are use to catching them and that is also where the nets are. I am not sure if this is all true or even any of it for that matter, but if it is it would make sense as to why the netters aren't doing well.

[Rownan]

It would be nice to hear from charter captains on this subject. They have extensive experience on lake Erie taking customers on charters often on a daily basis. I would tend to believe those captains who are on the lake making a living taking out customers than a few scientist who are on the lake here and there doing sampling and collecting data. But then again the old adage is follow the MONEY!!!!!!

[hoppy63]

If the government says the fish are there and fishermen are not catching them, are they really there?? Interesting!!

Especially this particular one.......MAKE PERCHING GREAT AGAIN!!!!! LOL

[Eyezcrazy]

I’m not buying into a couple of things. Like only 2% of walleye diet is yellow perch and also the perch diet change is causing the low catch rates. My thought is the walleye are eating more perch than they want us to believe and with the large walleye population the perch numbers are down and those that are around are looking for safe areas to stay.

In other words - the perch just aren’t there.

[West Basin]

It still wonders me a bit how even today, with all the increased (and getting much better) fisheries science, that some folks don't believe the research. They don't believe what the biologists are telling us.

No science is perfect, and conclusions are often time sensitive (meaning they are only good for a short period of time, conditions change and so might the results of future monitoring) and sometimes are later proven either incorrect or only partially correct. It the case here of Lake Erie's yellow perch populations, the fisheries science is there. They are not working with a short timeline of data. They are working with data and trends going back to the 1950's and even earlier. This isn't the first time in fisheries history that catch rates have fallen while the target species population hasn't, or even if it did the decline in catch rates doesn't match. That appears to be the case here. If perch numbers overall are down, that still doesn't entirely explain the huge drop in recreational catch rates. The perch are behaving differently due to environmental changes. If you want to catch yellow perch, at least in the current conditions, you'll have to adapt and find new ways to fish for them.

We may see some shift of yellow perch fishing from late summer and fall to late spring and early summer, as the invertebrate populations haven't increased yet and the perch are left with mostly fish to feed on.

[branhamautomotive]

Catch rates and size were very good late oct and early Nov, the netters out in front of huron had alot of issues getting fish as well.

Be interesting to see

[Eyezcrazy]

WB...I am not a doubter of science or data but I do think sometimes the ODNR misleads us in order to maintain sales. The current deer population situation is another prime example. For years we were told the deer population wasn’t dropping and the lack of hunter success was weather or access dependent. Now they have changed bag limits to help increase the heard. But why if that wasn’t the problem?

[Rownan]

Well interesting to know fisherman are not catching perch and the commercial netters are not catching perch. However ODNR can find and catch perch to do their studies. Perch fisherman need to follow ODNR around and get some pointers. LOL