Northwest Fishing Reports

Hey all,
I was wonderin' if you could help me out a bit.

With some talk recently about perch, and how tasty they are, I've decided it's due time to give 'em a full-fledged effort...
I've caught perch in the past, but never in large numbers and ALWAYS when I was targeting another species.

What I'm looking for is some tips on gear...I have next to nothing I could use to target these critters.

Small jigs?
Worms/maggots under bobbers?
Dead-baits?
Lures?

What colors and sizes do you recommened, and how do you set up your rigs?

I've heard they're typically found near the bottom, usually in 10-20ft of water.
Do they prefer to hang around structure? Coves? Weedlines?

Sorry if I asked too much...I rarely dive much out of the trout arena. :cyclops:

basically, all you need is a small hook and a bit of worm/nightcrawler. Fish at the edges of the weedlines until you find them.

You can use a bunch of different lures and baits, but the plain old worm and hook is the best starter and all around rig for them.

Once you catch one, cut out its eyeball and put that on the hook. Perch Eyes will last about 5 or 6 fish before it finally falls off. 10 feet of water just about anywhere in Lake Washington. They won't be big though.

Joe Heater knows it.I use the eyes or the tounge from perch to catch them.Also Bullhead meat is another great bait.Whats good about Bullhead tails is that they last for a long time.

Hi All,

Like Bscman, I want to get hooked up with perch (or actually just want my kids to think I can get them into a fishing hole). We spent a couple hours on Saturday in the East Channel and up to Groat Point, which I thought were the prime spots on the east side of Lake Washington. Not even a bite (white curly tail jigs with smelly jelly--we'll try worms next time).

After reading a lot about them I thought I'd be able to locate a school on my fishfinder but couldn't. Should I just forget the finder and hang a worm over until we have luck? Maybe we were too deep--didn't get into 10 ft.

Any advice to keep us from getting skunked again is appreciate. Thanks.

I FISH SOUTH LAKE WASHINGTON 3-4 NIGHTS A WEEK (AFTER WORK FOR 2-3 HOURS). DO NOT IGNORE YOUR FISHFINDER, BUT, PAY ATTENTION TO IT MORE. I USED TO GO RIGHT BY THE SCHOOLS THINKING THEY WERE CLUTTER, BUT, A COUPLE OF KIRKLAND MILITARY VETERANS WHO FISH FOR THEM RELIGIOUSLY SHOWED ME THE TICKET AWHILE BACK. THEY ARE STARTING TO COME SHALLOWER, BUT, HAVE CAUGHT THEM IN 40 FT. OF WATER RECENTLY. I DRAG A BOTTOM-WALKER, UTILIZING MY FISH-FINDER, UNTIL I RUN INTO A SCHOOL OR THAT CLUTTER YOU WILL SEE, THEN I START TOSSING THE LARGER SWEDISH PIMPLES (STOP TROLLING). I USE THE LARGER PIMPLES TO GET PAST THE 6-9 INCHER'S THAT ARE ON THE TOPS OF THESE SCHOOLS. CABELA'S HAS ALL THE SIZES NEEDED NOW. OF COURSE, TIP THE HOOKS WITH WORMS. IM FINDING THE BITE TURNING ON RIGHT AT DARK. GOOD LUCK!!!

I have a spot on the Uof W area that produces 6-11'' perch consistantly.Its a heck of a walk but worth it.We use a double hook set up with weight on the bottom.Sometimes we get 2 at once.The perch by Seward Park area are much smaller.

I use a size 6 baitholder and start with a worm, then switch to a piece of perch meat if I catch a small one. Just cut a small pennant shaped fillet off the side. This bait is tough and will last through a lot of fish. I fish just a crank or two off the bottom. Joe Heater is right about perch eyes being good bait.

Bruce Nelson

down here in lacamas i got 5 yellows in ten min's, with a brown trout magnet (walmart) and a skinny crappie. no bait need.

Also, you won't need to get up super early to catch them. You can catch as many during high noon, as early morning. Finding them is key.

I have had some very good luck with Perch recently... along weed lines is the best place to find them... little jigs with worm down near the bottom... the earlier in the day the shallower the water they will be in... as it gets warmer throughout the day move into deeper water... but anything with a worm on it! worms work AWESOME!

HillbillyGeek wrote:I highly recommend the 1/4 oz "perch velcro".

Hahaha. I got those in glass perch pattern..hopefully it will keep them away!

And for the perch fishing..if you're looking for eating size perch, im pretty sure lake washington and sammamish are you're best bets. Ive never caught a eating size perch in any other lake. I dont even know if smaller lakes allow perch to get big. Im not sure where Sedro Wooley is, but if its near WA or Samm, go there!

Lake Washington takes a while to get into larger perch. All the piers in the Seward Park area have perch, but you throw about a million back before you catch any good ones. It seems like just before it gets dark, larger perch move up. My favorite pier is the one on the peninsula of Seward park. Its about a mile walk from the parking lot though.
On the side of the peninsula towards bellevue is where the HUUUUUGE perch live. Just go to the old trout hatchery, and throw your line out as far as possible. You need alot of weight to get past the weeds. My dad and i both caught several perch over 1lb from there last summer. Im sure it would be the same this year.

In Sammamish, its pretty easy to find them (from boat). Just go sit on the north end of the lake in from 8 to 18 ft, throw a piece of a night crawler behind a few splitshots, let it sink to the bottom and then slowy retrieve it. I promise you will get some perch!! You will still catch some little ones, but you will also alot of keepers.

Heres a pic of some Sammy perch. first 3 fish are 12.5 inch then the next four are 12 and the rest are all a little smaller. But for perch, those are nice sizes.

JT26 wrote:

HillbillyGeek wrote:I highly recommend the 1/4 oz "perch velcro".

Hahaha. I got those in glass perch pattern..hopefully it will keep them away!

And for the perch fishing..if you're looking for eating size perch, im pretty sure lake washington and sammamish are you're best bets. Ive never caught a eating size perch in any other lake. I dont even know if smaller lakes allow perch to get big. Im not sure where Sedro Wooley is, but if its near WA or Samm, go there!

Lake Washington takes a while to get into larger perch. All the piers in the Seward Park area have perch, but you throw about a million back before you catch any good ones. It seems like just before it gets dark, larger perch move up. My favorite pier is the one on the peninsula of Seward park. Its about a mile walk from the parking lot though.
On the side of the peninsula towards bellevue is where the HUUUUUGE perch live. Just go to the old trout hatchery, and throw your line out as far as possible. You need alot of weight to get past the weeds. My dad and i both caught several perch over 1lb from there last summer. Im sure it would be the same this year.

In Sammamish, its pretty easy to find them (from boat). Just go sit on the north end of the lake in from 8 to 18 ft, throw a piece of a night crawler behind a few splitshots, let it sink to the bottom and then slowy retrieve it. I promise you will get some perch!! You will still catch some little ones, but you will also alot of keepers.

Heres a pic of some Sammy perch. first 3 fish are 12.5 inch then the next four are 12 and the rest are all a little smaller. But for perch, those are nice sizes.

Wow! That's a nice catch! Perch are GREAT eating. :chef:

They are also very aggressive for a "panfish". When they hit a little crankbiat, they'll knock the paint off it!

Unfortunately, they don't put up much of a fight once they are hooked -- just like walleye. Don't get me wrong, they DO fight, but pound-for-pound, they aren't in the same league as smallmouth bass. (not even close)

I love the first hit of a perch. Even the little ones are super aggressive on the hit. But then they just give up.

what works the best for me is old faithful, a worm and sinker especially on lake washington near the weedlines.

That's a nice batch of Perch JT,..funny we blow by that pier on the peninnsula all the time and never give it a 2nd look,..maybe next time we'll weigh anchor and fish for some Perch,..give the old Bassin Arms a well deserved break,..what do you think bassfanatic,..? Good job JT!

BB

How do you guys cook them? I've brought a few home over the past season..and haven;t really fallen in love with the taste?

I'm assuming frying is the way to go?

My buddy in TX said he guts them, removes the head and skin..and fries up the rest...

eats the bones and all? Has anyone else heard of this?

I steamed a couple for the misses and me with some ginger and random vegetables, good, but was picking through them because the bones.

[quote="PaulReilly"]How do you guys cook them? I've brought a few home over the past season..and haven]

Yup, that is the way to go. I fry majority of my freshwater fish..bluegill, crappie, perch, bass, etc..

Perch=The Other White Meat