Yellow perch and smallmouth. 2025
Zach Winn reply :
I live up north and yellow perch and smallmouth are every where in the rivers I fish. I’ve tried using perch coloured baits to catch smallmouth with limited success compared to a sexy Shad or other shad/shiner coloured bait. I was just wondering how much of a smallmouth’s diet is actually includes perch?
J Francho reply :
On 3/8/2018 at 3:34 AM, Zach Winn said:I was just wondering how much of a smallmouth’s diet is actually includes perch?
I've never had one puke up a perch, but often time crawfish, alewife, gobies, and little true bass which I can only assume are white perch; around 3" long.
A-Jay reply :
In my local waters here in north MI - yellow perch (and crayfish) make up 95 % of the carcasses found in my live well at the end of most every smallie trip; regardless of the time of year.
I don't fight it or over think it -
Usually pays off.
A-Jay
J Francho reply :
Interesting....
mattkenzer reply :
On 3/8/2018 at 3:42 AM, A-Jay said:In my local waters here in north MI - yellow perch (and crayfish) make up 95 % of the bait found in my live well at the end of most every trip. I don't fight it or over think it -
Usually pays off.
A-Jay
I see similar results as A-Jay.
Some of our Smallmouth waters do not have Crayfish so Perch and Minnows are the Food Group.
In waters that have Crayfish and Perch, IMHO I believe the Smallmouth favor the Crayfish for sure.
A-Jay reply :
On 3/8/2018 at 3:44 AM, J Francho said:Interesting....
For that first week of June (especially around the full moon) it's all about the Hexageneia Linbata
A-Jay
mattkenzer reply :
On 3/8/2018 at 3:51 AM, A-Jay said:For that first week of June (especially around the full moon) it's all Hexageneia Linbata
A-Jay
My waters get polluted with Mayflies.
I have watch big smallies fin at the boat like dolphins but wont give you a look ..... I didn't say as big as dolphins. LOL
The Marabou Jig will fool a few but not often.
A-Jay reply :
On 3/8/2018 at 3:58 AM, mattkenzer said:My waters get polluted with Mayflies.
I have watch big smallies fin at the boat like dolphins but wont give you a look ..... I didn't say as big as dolphins. LOL
The Marabou Jig will fool a few but not often.
I know the feeling - I broke down and geared up with a fly rod.
Super fun and something I look forward to every summer.
When the bite is on - it's totally ridiculous.
#suicidalbass
A-Jay
J Francho reply :
That's food for my smallmouth's food...
mattkenzer reply :
On 3/8/2018 at 4:05 AM, A-Jay said:I know the feeling - I broke down and geared up with a fly rod.
Super fun and something I look forward to every summer.
When the bite is on - it's totally ridiculous.
#suicidalbass
A-Jay
Nice fish A-Jay.
I may have to dust off the fly rod this year .... 
A-Jay reply :
On 3/8/2018 at 4:09 AM, mattkenzer said:Nice fish A-Jay.
I may have to dust off the fly rod this year ....
Thanks ~
Do it.
You'll be glad you did.
A-Jay
Scott F reply :
Summer and fall smallmouth follow the schools of perch in lakes. If you locate perch the smallmouth aren't far away. I've never fished a river that had any perch so I can't tell how they relate to them there.
Fish the Mitt reply :
On 3/8/2018 at 4:05 AM, A-Jay said:I know the feeling - I broke down and geared up with a fly rod.
Super fun and something I look forward to every summer.
When the bite is on - it's totally ridiculous.
#suicidalbass
A-Jay
Here I am with a fly rod I didn't end up using as much as I thought I would, and wondering what I'm going to do with it...
Now.I.Know!
gimruis reply :
The two primary food sources on lakes/rivers here that do not include the Great Lakes are crayfish and perch. I have done pretty good using perch colored jerk baits for smallies the past two years. Bugs are a seasonal option but they gorge on them when they are available.
Adam.love05 reply :
I fish Champlain a lot as well as the surrounding Waters in northern VT.. and anything perch usually works great.. I've seen smallies caught with 6" perch half digested.. I think they are pretty willing to grab a snack anytime they get a chance, whatever it may be.. my most productive jerkbaits are perch pattern.. only bad news is those slime rockets (northern Pike) like them as well.. d**n things
Way north bass guy reply :
On 3/8/2018 at 9:21 AM, Adam.love05 said:I fish Champlain a lot as well as the surrounding Waters in northern VT.. and anything perch usually works great.. I've seen smallies caught with 6" perch half digested.. I think they are pretty willing to grab a snack anytime they get a chance, whatever it may be.. my most productive jerkbaits are perch pattern.. only bad news is those slime rockets (northern Pike) like them as well.. d**n things
Nothing wrong with a pike or two getting ahold of your perch coloured jerkbait ????
gimruis reply :
On 3/8/2018 at 9:45 AM, Way north bass guy said:Nothing wrong with a pike or two getting ahold of your perch coloured jerkbait
I lose a lot of lures from pike, but they are rarely this big. Most of the ones that bite mine are snakes because our lakes are over run with them.
That's a good one.
desmobob reply :
On 3/8/2018 at 3:51 AM, A-Jay said:For that first week of June (especially around the full moon) it's all Hexageneia Linbata
A-Jay
I remember reading that mayfly nymphs make up an impressive percentage of Walleyes' food intake, too. I suppose it was referring to younger age classes...
Anyway, it's a fun time to fish for several species when the Hex hatch is on!
Tight lines,
Bob
Adam.love05 reply :
On 3/8/2018 at 9:45 AM, Way north bass guy said:Nothing wrong with a pike or two getting ahold of your perch coloured jerkbait ????
Man oh man!! Nice! If I could land something like that I'd be okay with it.. but that's tough to do on 10-12# fluro.. they're usually just big enough to steal my jerkbait!
A-Jay reply :
On 3/8/2018 at 9:59 AM, desmobob said:I remember reading that mayfly nymphs make up an impressive percentage of Walleyes' food intake, too. I suppose it was referring to younger age classes...
Anyway, it's a fun time to fish for several species when the Hex hatch is on!
Tight lines,
Bob
Yes Sir ~ this is something I did not know going into it but discovered right off the bat.
Really surprised me too.
Walleye taking my bugs off the surface at sunset - who'd a thunk ?
Still Fun though . . .
A-Jay
Zach Winn reply :
On 3/8/2018 at 3:41 AM, J Francho said:I've never had one puke up a perch, but often time crawfish, alewife, gobies, and little true bass which I can only assume are white perch; around 3" long.
Most of what I’ve seen spit up is a Shad or alewife looking bait fish. I know craws are common in my area as well.
desmobob reply :
On 3/8/2018 at 10:21 AM, A-Jay said:Yes Sir ~ this is something I did not know going into it but discovered right off the bat.
Really surprised me too.
Walleye taking my bugs off the surface at sunset - who'd a thunk ?
Still Fun though . . .
A-Jay
Here's a shot of a Hex I took back in the '90s with old school macro gear and slide film:
Tight lines,
Bob
Way north bass guy reply :
On 3/8/2018 at 10:07 AM, Adam.love05 said:Man oh man!! Nice! If I could land something like that I'd be okay with it.. but that's tough to do on 10-12# fluro.. they're usually just big enough to steal my jerkbait!
This guy came on 14lb fluoro. I usually target them with heavier stuff, we grow em pretty big up here, but I have caught quite a few over 15lbs on some pretty light bass gear. Just gotta take your time and pray the lures not deep in their face ????
Adam.love05 reply :
On 3/8/2018 at 10:30 AM, Way north bass guy said:This guy came on 14lb fluoro. I usually target them with heavier stuff, we grow em pretty big up here, but I have caught quite a few over 15lbs on some pretty light bass gear. Just gotta take your time and pray the lures not deep in their face ????
Very true! Usually I'll get the ones that half ass it and just nip it.. but sometimes those suckers hammer and inhale it, which gets the heart pumping until you feel you line go slack..
Crestliner2008 reply :
Up here in MA, fishing a very large impoundment, I find that if you locate schools of yellow perch on a structure, you will catch smallmouth bass. And you can tell if it's perch you are seeing as your ds worm will start getting pecked to death! That's how I usually hook a small 5" - 6" yellow perch each trip. The smallies are never far behind.
Mr. Aquarium reply :
ive caught some large smallies on live perch and perch swimbaits
WI_Angler1989 reply :
I've never seen a Smallie here chuck up a perch while it was hooked, but I do have a lot of success on perch colored lures. In particular a perch colored Husky Jerk or Shadow Rap will always produce for me.
Then again, whites and silvers work really well too. It makes me think that whether I'm imitating a perch, shad, shiner, minnow, crawfish or hellagramite... the fish are opportunists. If they can eat it and want to eat, they will probably try.
Zach Winn reply :
Thanks for the input guys.
Wildbillb reply :
On 3/8/2018 at 4:05 AM, A-Jay said:I know the feeling - I broke down and geared up with a fly rod.
Super fun and something I look forward to every summer.
When the bite is on - it's totally ridiculous.
#suicidalbass
A-Jay
I don't use a fly rod. ????
A-Jay reply :
On 3/9/2018 at 10:37 AM, Wildbillb said:I don't use a fly rod. ????
That's Wild Bill.
A-Jay
desmobob reply :
On 3/8/2018 at 10:38 AM, Adam.love05 said:Very true! Usually I'll get the ones that half ass it and just nip it.. but sometimes those suckers hammer and inhale it, which gets the heart pumping until you feel you line go slack..
It seems like I lose lures to pike almost every time I fish and it sometimes keeps me from using presentations I'd like.
But there is nothing like the way a pike can do a high-speed broadside slam on a topwater or buzz bait! Or nothing that will snap you out of a crank-and-wind-induced daze like having a big pike explode on your bait just as you're lifting it out of the water to cast. I've had the latter happen so violently I actually yelled in surprise. (Don't ask if I screamed like a girl. There were no witnesses, so my story is that I let out a manly cuss.)
Water wolf, indeed.
Tight lines,
Bob
Turkey sandwich reply :
Most of the waters that I fish for smallmouth here in PA have pretty healthy perch populations and pretty much everything loves them. In relatively clear water, it's one of my favorites to mimic. DT4s - DT10s, Shad Rap, Husky Jerks, and X-Raps in perch have been go-to hard baits for me in PA for quite some time. More recently, I've even started tying articulated perch streamers. Here's a toothy critter that was all about a DT6 in perch this past fall.
Here's what's been dubbed the "Disco Gypsy":
And Mayfly hatches on the Susquehanna's North Branch have been so dense that they shut down traffic. If you time them well, you can catch literally anything by throwing a size 12-18 white fly (depending on the hatch). Generally, I like throwing a popper (often perch colored) if I'm targeting larger fish, but for numbers of EVERYTHING, it's tough to beat throwing a white mayfly pattern at anything that rises.
loumonetti reply :
When I go to the St Lawrence I rig up two dropshot rods, one with a long leader and a perch-imitation bait, one with a short leader and a goby bait. On some spots they munch the perch better, others the goby. I think that at least up there the diet largely consists of both perch and gobies.
Weirdly enough though I too have had less success with perch colored hard baits than whites and other colors. I don't know why that is other than maybe the fact that they're just so aggressive that they don't pay much attention to such baits, other than when it's real cold.
Who knows!
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