Sad State of Perch Fishing on Lake Erie

[itsbob]

Let me preface this,that i am not an avid perch fisherman and i only occasionally perch fish.These are observations and opinions regarding what has happened to the yellow perch fishing on lake erie, based mostly on what i have read here and on Ohio Game and Fish.I could be exaggerating the problems and be wrong on some of my opinions on this controversial topic.
I had planned to perch fish this past monday with 3 other friends on a head boat.I stopped at two places sunday when the boats came in to see how they did.I went to Tibbles at 2:30 as their two boats came in.While i was waiting,talked to John Tibbles who is a 4th generation owner of the business.He said his perch fishing head boats and charters are way down for the past 5yrs due to lack of perch.The two boats came in and i talked to a couple guys from each boat.They fished north of Kellies and the size was not that big and the average catch was around 10 perch per person.
I then drove over to the Sassy Sal at 3pm to see how they did.The investigator had a total of 60 fish and the Sal had 150 for 15 guys.Size was small.Went into the cleaners at the Sal and watched a guy cleaning a bucket of 6-7" perch.Told my buddies what i saw so decided on the Sassy Sal.
We left the dock at 8am monday and headed to G can.Was a beautifull calm day.Had a full boat of 15 people and i sat next to captain Andy and 1st mate Mark. Had an enjoyable conversation with them both.Great guys and they seemed to really know their fishing on our lake.Unfortunately the fishing was slow again.The boat total was 200 perch, and the size was not very good.Everyone was keeping even 6" fish.The 4 of us caught like 40 fish that weighed 13lbs.The other head boats did not catch any better either.
Now we were fishing the end of October.Traditionally a very good time for perch fishing in the western basin.The numbers and size of fish seem to be way down the last 5yrs.The ODNR took drastic measures and lowered the perch limit to 10 in the central zone. Essentially closing down the sportman quota for perch there.It seems the perch stocks are in serious trouble.I am not sure how much the quotas have been reduced for the commercial guys either.But i do know that they stopped all commercial netting in the western basin for 3yrs several years ago to help bring back more perch.
I have heard other opinions as to why the perch numbers are down.Too many walleye,invasive species like the spiney water flee,too many cormorants,poor hatches and commercial overfishing. I know the great lakes commission will survey our lake and determine the total allowable catch for yellow perch and will divide that up to all the states and Ontario that border Erie.Then our ODNR will take our quota and determine how much the sportsman and commercial netters will get.I do hope the numbers of perch do improve.Would be a shame if our agencies allow the perch population to crash.

[badboards]

Great story. I perch fished 3 days in a row. Started Sunday could not find fish from lakeside to Marblehead. Boated around both packs for an hour looking for marks and watching to see anyone was catching. It was a boring scene but a beautiful day. Didn't even fish saved my emeralds for Monday. Fished west of the green Buoy at Catawba ramp. Found some small and spotty marks in 23 fow got tired of looking so me and the misses baited our poles and caught 6 pounds of perch worth keeping and thru back at least 15 dinks biggest being 10". Tuesday went halfway to G can and caught 10 pounds and thru back a bunch 6" and smaller. Marblehead fish cleaning was busy Tuesday and a couple guys limited out NW of Kelly's. I'm still learning but I seem to always be a day late and a dollar short when it comes to getting a limit of anything but I will die trying.

[J Hook]

Perch Fishing and size has been down the last couple of yrs especially in early July when you could get both limits in perch and walleye on the same trip out .. Perch did turn on in early August for a few weeks then died out the last part of that month through September.. Right now they are biting pretty good with real decent sizes 9s -13 inches and a few bigger.. from Catawba to west of the intake .. The bite at times is different from the past so try different ways ..Even if you feel a lil weight give it a pull.. FISH ON 🎣

[jjan1976]

I agree 100% the perch fishing has been down just check fisherman’s warf website in port Clinton totals for the last 5-10 years. I’m sure those spiny water fleas have something to do with it along with the abundance of walleye and the cormorants. Also the perch lately just don’t bite like before. It’s actually work to go out and catch a limit. Back in the day I could take out the kids and wife who don’t fish to much and they could feel a hit on there rig. It seems everyday is different they way they want the bait. Try a bunch of different presentations to try to feel the bite. Like I said it’s almost like work when trying to catch these yellow bellies the last few years. But I love the challenge. Goodluck

[Mapleshade]

The perch do seem smaller on average than years ago. I will say I have been able to limit 4 times in October and 50% limit the other 2 times out. Probably thrown back another 70 or so below 7.5 inches. Been fishing between KellyÂ’s and Marblehead, northwest of Catawba can, and yesterday just west of KellyÂ’s. No secrets there! Always many boats nearby. One thing for sure is the bite has been light. Often the line just gets a whisker heavy while working the spreader up and down. I retired recently and have particularly enjoyed my time on our Great Lake the past few months. I sure appreciate all those who post here. You are helping me learn a bit about the western basin having grown up near Erie, PA. Thanks!

[stampman]

many reason. 1.lots of walleye 2. a holes and eye balls goes in the bucket 3. spiny water flees choking the perch fry. 4 cormorants. just add them up.

[airshot]

Another thing to consider is the farm animals eating the same food our walleye and perch eat. We fisherman spend big bucks, time and energy to chase our favorite gamefish, yet we constantly throw back all the tradh fish that eat the food that our game fish eat. One example is sheepshead, they forage the same shinner minnows our game fish eat, yet we return them back into the lake to reproduce !! Consider all the sheepshead, white bass, white perch, that are thrown back to keep repopulating and eat all the food our gamefish are after. When food is scarce the game fish leave or their growth is stunted. I have for years made sure the junk fish I return to the lake are not able to reproduce....now if all the fisherman did that, think about how much food for gamefish would be spared !!

[hageman]

Another thing to consider is the farm animals eating the same food our walleye and perch eat. We fisherman spend big bucks, time and energy to chase our favorite gamefish, yet we constantly throw back all the tradh fish that eat the food that our game fish eat. One example is sheepshead, they forage the same shinner minnows our game fish eat, yet we return them back into the lake to reproduce !! Consider all the sheepshead, white bass, white perch, that are thrown back to keep repopulating and eat all the food our gamefish are after. When food is scarce the game fish leave or their growth is stunted. I have for years made sure the junk fish I return to the lake are not able to reproduce....now if all the fisherman did that, think about how much food for gamefish would be spared !!

The fish are all getting plenty to eat. Have you cleaned a walleye and seen all the fat within? Western Basin Perch have continued to have above the 30-year average hatches with good survival into the 1-year age and into the fishery, along with faster than historical growth rates, according to Ohio Div of Wildlife trawl surveys. Perch have billions of mayfly and midge larvae to feed upon, a robust spiny water flea and other zooplankton population, aquatic worms, snails, gobies, shiners and young of year spiny-rayed fish to eat. By the way, Commercial fishermen, who many people love to hate, keep tons of white bass, white perch and smaller sheepshead in addition to up to 35% of the annual Ohio available perch quota, as managed within 3 units in Lake Erie. High value perch allows them to stay in business. Are you suggesting that sportsmen just waste every fish that they do not want in the lake because you erroneously think they are causing our game fish to starve? Since when aren't White bass a game fish too?

[airshot]

The fish are all getting plenty to eat. Have you cleaned a walleye and seen all the fat within? Western Basin Perch have continued to have above the 30-year average hatches with good survival into the 1-year age and into the fishery, along with faster than historical growth rates, according to Ohio Div of Wildlife trawl surveys. Perch have billions of mayfly and midge larvae to feed upon, a robust spiny water flea and other zooplankton population, aquatic worms, snails, gobies, shiners and young of year spiny-rayed fish to eat. By the way, Commercial fishermen, who many people love to hate, keep tons of white bass, white perch and smaller sheepshead in addition to up to 35% of the annual Ohio available perch quota, as managed within 3 units in Lake Erie. High value perch allows them to stay in business. Are you suggesting that sportsmen just waste every fish that they do not want in the lake because you erroneously think they are causing our game fish to starve? Since when aren't White bass a game fish too?

Been fishing lake erie forwell over 60 years and have never swa anyone go after sheepshead oor white bass. Ever wonder why their population just keeps growing and growing !! Dont forget about the multimillion dollar industry that will flush down the toilet when all there are left is sheepshead and white bass....I was around when we almost lost the walleye population and the lake was considered dead, if we dont watch ourselves it can easily and quickly happen again !!

[hageman]

Been fishing lake erie forwell over 60 years and have never swa anyone go after sheepshead oor white bass. Ever wonder why their population just keeps growing and growing !! Dont forget about the multimillion dollar industry that will flush down the toilet when all there are left is sheepshead and white bass....I was around when we almost lost the walleye population and the lake was considered dead, if we dont watch ourselves it can easily and quickly happen again !!

Well, I have been fishing the lake for near 60 years too and have seen some of the same. The walleye population was pretty low, but not from starvation. It was from pollution and overharvest.

The lake is much improved, thanks to the Clean Water Act of 1972. We can now have lots of walleyes, yellow perch, white bass, freshwater drum, white perch and many other species in great numbers as long as the western basin remains as productive as it is now. They are not mutually exclusive, although white perch have tried to take away more than their fair share of the available resources.

Zebra mussels are even more devastating, but that is a whole other story that doesn't affect the western basin as much as it does elsewhere.

There is no evidence to support the claim that walleyes eating too many yellow perch. No doubt that they get some, but dont seek them out.

They eat a lot more young-of-year white perch and some young-of-year white bass and "sheepshead", which are less abundant. I have even seen them with 6-8 young-of-year channel catfish in their stomachs.

This is not guesswork, but learned through opening adult walleyes and looking at their stomach contents in numbers sufficient to generate valid scientific data. Div. of Wildlife trawling figures show high densities of yearling yellow perch are surviving, so claims of walleyes eating "all the perch" by some fishermen are also not supported by science.

Regarding white bass fishing, people used to look for flocks of gulls diving into the lake- then race over and cast to the schools of white bass which have trapped emerald shiners up to the surface of the lake. Big fun if you never tried it. My best streak was catching 39 white bass on 13 casts (using 3- 1/8oz. leadhead jigs dressed with white curly-tails). Lower numbers of emerald shiners make this observation a rarity compared to before white perch invaded the lake and multiplied in the 80's.

Enjoy the lake now, with its record numbers of walleyes, good populations of perch in the western basin and enough white bass to catch as many as you can drag when they run up the rivers. Many people come from a long distance away to fill their freezers with white bass in May.

Thankfully the sheepshead, white bass and white perch haven't eaten all the prey yet and likely won't in the near future- as long as the farms keep fertilizing the watershed with animal waste so that we can have cheaper bacon. (actually it is so that they can have a higher profit margin....)

P.S.- In addition to being a 50+ year-long Lake Erie angler, I also have a Fisheries Management degree from Ohio State and was involved in fish research on the lake for over 40 years.

I usually don't get involved with these conversations, but I was bored enough to do it this time while I was searching for a good perch fishing report.