There are so many rivers that offer some pretty good to excellent fishing for yellow perch. Just like with other fish, some of the keys are to find the current breaks, any cover you can find on the river and you have to be willing to move around a little bit until you find the more productive spots. The river flows can easily change the better spots on any given day.
Fish the Current Breaks
Perch will usually be found out of the main current. Find these current breaks and you will find some perch.
Find the Wood
Because many rivers lack vegetation, wood will often hold some perch and at times, good numbers of perch. Find the wood just out of the main current with 4 to 12 feet of water and you probably have a good place to find some perch. Every spot won’t hold fish, so if the river you are fishing has a lot of wood, you may have to do some searching.
If There Are Weeds, Fish the Weeds
Weeds are great and they attract perch. On many of the rivers, you aren’t going to find a good amount of weeds. If you can find some with some decent depth, you may have a great spot to find some perch.
Fish the Spillways & Dams
The spillways and dams will usually hold good numbers of perch, especially in the spring and fall.
Don’t Miss the Spawn
Perch begin spawning soon after ice out. They spawn around 45 degrees. Even though the water is cold, perch are extremely active. They move out of their deep, wintering areas into shallower, weedy areas. Hard bottoms such as gravel and sand hold more spawning perch than soft, mucky bottoms. During the spawn, catching perch is extremely easy. Most anglers use a bobber, split shot, hook and their bait. Minnows work best for larger perch, but worms will also do the trick. Some of the more experienced anglers will use small jigs baited with a piece of worm or a minnow.
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