PERCH (Perca flavescens)

HISTORY: Perch were first found to be present in both Pine and Sylvan Lake in 1919. They are believed by some to be the same species as the Perch in Europe. Perch are present in countless lakes and slow moving rivers throughout Alberta. They were present as native fish in many lakes and introduced into many others.

BIOLOGY: This fish is one of the main forage fish in Alberta for other game fish such as Pike and Walleye. They are dark green on the back which blends into a yellow-gold down the sides. They have dark green stripes down the sides of the fish. Like other members of the Perch family they have sharp spines in the dorsal fin and razor sharp gill plates therefore they must be handled very carefully. They are usually found in loose schools.

Some small perch will travel with other species of the same size. Perch feed mainly on insects, snails and small minnows. These fish spawn at three years of age. Perch spawn in the spring in a very unique way. They lay their eggs in a jelly like ribbon over weeds or logs. Even though these eggs are totally exposed, other fish seem to leave them alone suggesting they have some sort of foul smell or taste to them. Perch have a short life span of about seven years.

HOT SPOTS: There are many places to fish for perch. Pine, Sylvan, Gull, Cow, Travers Res. or Chestermere Lake are just a few. In the north Lesser Slave and Moose Lake are well known hot spots. Buck and Cow lake are good choices for central Alberta. Sherburne and Chin lakes are both good picks for southern lakes. Carburne Park ponds in Calgary had perch illegally introduced and now is loaded with small perch.

ANGLING TECHNIQUES:

The most popular time to fish for Perch has to be winter through the ice.

The first challenge is to find the fish. Once you find one chances are there are more as they do school up. Look for them near, or in, weed beds close to drop offs along the edge of structure. Usually if there is boulders or logs and brush piles they may hang right in them. The main thing is to find the right depth.

Light tackle is needed for these fish. Small jigs tipped with worms, maggots, meal worms or leeches usually work very well. If you have an ice shack this can be a very visual way to fish. The darker the shack the better you can see the fish hit your jig. Try putting a jig on the end of your line with a snelled fly up 8 to 10 inches above that and tip with your favorite bait. This technique can add another choice for the fish to choose from.

In open water situations try a slip bobber with a small jig or plain hook tipped with bait. Fish this set up in the weeds beside docks or in rock or brush piles and you should find fish. For larger perch size up your offering try jigging spoons or spinners and mini crankbaits.