www.fish.state.pa.us Pennsylvania Angler & Boater • January-February 2006 51

Winter2006

Which fish can be called a “yellow ned,” lives in lakesand ponds, and can grow to be 12 inches long or longer?

If you said a yellow perch, you are right! In thisissue of PLAY, we take a look at the yellow

perch.Did you know that perch, wall-

eyes, and darters are related?They belong to the familyPercidae, or perch family. Haveyou ever fished for perch? Do you

know where perch live and what theyeat? Can you identify a perch?

The following pages contain theanswers to these questions and more.

illustration-Spring Gearhart

Yellow Perch belong to thefamily Percidae, or perchfamily.

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Pennsylvania’s Plentiful Yellow Perch by Joe Arnett

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater • January-February 2006 www.fish.state.pa.us52

Yellow perch are a plentiful fish that canbe found in most of North America. They area native species east of the Rocky Moun-tains and as far south as South Carolina.They can be found in most of easternCanada as well as northcentral Canada.Perch have also been stocked in westernstates like Idaho, Montana, Washington,California, New Mexico, and Texas. Haveyou caught perch near your home?

Range

HabitatPerch live in lakes and ponds. Sometimes they

can also be found in slow-moving rivers or evenin tidewater. Thebest places tofish for perch arein lakes or pondswith clear waterand vegetationalong the shore.Perch are usually foundin water less than 30 feetdeep. During different sea-sons, perch use different partsof the lake. In the spring, theycan be found around rock pilesnear the lake’s bottom. In thesummer, they favor the edges ofweeded areas.

WEED BEDS(SUMMER)

ROCK PILES(SPRING)

ROCK PILES(WINTER)

DEEP WATER

SHALLOWER DROPOFFS

illustration-Spring Gearhart

The best places to fish forperch are in lakes or pondswith clear water andvegetation along the shore.

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www.fish.state.pa.us Pennsylvania Angler & Boater • January-February 2006 53

There are three ways to identify a perch.••••• Color. The head and back are a greenish

to brownish color. The sides of the fish areyellow or yellowish green. On the sides ofthe perch are 6 to 9 vertical stripes. Thesestripes are a dark color. The belly is whiteor gray.

Identifying a Perch

HeadBack

Belly

Stripes

Sides

Dorsal Fins

Soft Ray Fin

Tail

Body

illustration-Ted Walke

Get your 2006 PLAY Patch Today!The 2006 PLAY patch features the yellow

perch. This patch and others are available fromthe PA Fish & Boat Commission. Visit the Com-mission online at www.fish.state.pa.us.

••••• Fins. The fin on the back of a fish iscalled a dorsal fin. Perch have twoseparated dorsal fins. The front fin is aspiny fin with sharp points. The back fin iscalled a soft ray fin.••••• Shape. A perch has a long, slim body.Most perch are 6 to 12 inches long. Butsometimes they grow larger. The tail of aperch is slightly forked.

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater • January-February 2006 www.fish.state.pa.us54

Very Niceto Meet You.

Sometimes one fish or animal can be called by manynames. Perch are a good example of this. In thesoutheast United States perch are sometimes calledraccoon perch, ringed perch, striped perch, jack perch,convict and redfin. In New Jersey they are called sandperch, lake perch, yellow ned, ned or Eisenhower. InPennsylvania they are mostly called yellow perch or

just perch. Do you know of another name forperch? One fish with many names can becomeconfusing. That is why scientists give all animalsa scientific name. The scientific name for yellowperch is Perca flavescens. “Perca” means perch

and “flavescens” means yellow, or turning yellow.

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A Fish of Many Names

AVERAGE STATE

In Pennsylvania most perchgrow to be 6 to 12 inches long.They weigh between one-halfpound and one pound. The Penn-sylvania state record was caught in2000 in Beltzville Lake. It

weighed 2 pounds, 9 ounces andmeasured 16.25 inches long. Theworld record perch was caught inMaine in 1949. It weighed 4pounds, 12 ounces. What’s thebiggest perch you’ve ever caught?

That’s one big fish!

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www.fish.state.pa.us Pennsylvania Angler & Boater • January-February 2006 55

Perch spawn in the spring when watertemperatures are between 45 and 50 degrees.Usually this happens in March or April. Thefish prefer water that is 5 to 10 feet deep witha gravel bottom or vegetation. The femalelays the eggs in a long jelly-like string. Thisjelly coating helps protect the eggs from

Life Cycle

egg

sac fry

fry

adult yellow perch

infections and predators. One female perchcan lay up to 25,000 eggs! The eggs take 20to 25 days to hatch. The baby perch are notvery good swimmers and will hide in theweeds. Perch parents do not guard the youngfish. The baby perch will be about 3 incheslong by the end of their first summer.

Eggs take 20to 25 days tohatch.

SPRING

SUMMER

Female perchcan lay up to25,000 eggs.

3-inch baby perch

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater • January-February 2006 www.fish.state.pa.us56

Young perch eat small organismscalled zooplankton. They also eatthe immature stages of mayflies andtrue flies, or midges. Older fish eatbigger insects, snails, crayfish, fisheggs, and small baitfish, includingsmall perch!

What’s for supper?

The fishing season for perch is all year long inmost of Pennsylvania. There is no size limit and youcan keep up to 50 a day! However, a few lakes are in

When to fish?

Line from rod

Bobber

Splitshot

Size 8 or 10 hook

12 to 24 inches

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Rigging Diagram

Worms, grubs and minnows are some ofthe best baits for perch fishing. Simply rigyour pole with a hook, small sinker and abobber. Slide the bobber 12 to 24 inchesup from the hook. Bait the hook andyou’re ready to fish.

the Panfish Enhancement Program and have specialrules. Be sure to check the fishing regulations forthe area you plan to fish.

Emerald shiner

Crayfish

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www.fish.state.pa.us Pennsylvania Angler & Boater • January-February 2006 57

Perch Matching GameMatch the numbered items at left to the lettered items on the right.

1. Where perch like to live. A. 6 to 12 inches

2. The shape of a perch’s tail. B. Worms, grubs and minnows

3. Length of a normal perch in C. 50, but remember toPennsylvania. check for special regulations

4. The scientific name for a D. 45 to 50 degreesyellow perch.

5. Some good baits for E. In lakes and pondsperch fishing.

6. Daily creel limit for perch in F. 20 to 25most Pennsylvania waterways.

7. Type of food for young perch. G. Slightly forked.

8. Water temperature at the H. Zooplanktontime perch spawn.

9. Number of days for perch I. Perca flavescenseggs to hatch.

Perch Matching Game Answers1, E; 2, G; 3, A; 4, I; 5, B; 6, C; 7, H; 8, D; 9, F.

Joe Arnett is a Fish & Boat Commission environmental education specialist.