Read the article with FishingTheSpot: the yellow perch
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See the fishing tripsThe Yellow Perch
all year round
13 cm
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The Yellow Perch belongs to the Percidae family. The yellow perch measures on average 10 to 25 cm in length and weighs between 50 and 200 g (up to 36 cm for 500 g). The average lifespan is about 7 years. It breeds from April to May. It can be fished all year round.
Its body is elongated and oval. Its head is moderately high and rounded at the tip. Its snout is obtuse and moderately long; it does not extend beyond the lower jaw. The mouth is terminal and slightly oblique. The jaws have small teeth. The operculum is finished with a strong thorn. There are 2 distinctly separated dorsal fins. The first dorsal spine is high and rounded, the spines are strong, the rays vary from 13 to 15. The second dorsal fin is almost as high, with 1 to 2 spines and 12 to 15 rays. The caudal is slightly forked. The color of the yellow perch varies according to its size and habitat. The back and dorsal surface of the head vary from bright green to golden brown to olive. The sides are pale yellow to yellow-green with about 7 vertical black bars of decreasing width. The ventral face of the head and body varies from grey to milk white. The dorsal and caudal fins range from yellow to green; the edge of the first dorsal fin is often black. In males in spawning livery the colors will be more intense: in particular, the pelvic and anal fins which are then bright orange.
The Yellow Perch lifestyle
Its diet varies according to its size and season. It feeds in the morning and evening. Its diet consists mainly of insects such as Ephemeroptera mayfly larvae, chironomid larvae, Cladocera water fleas, Zygoptera damselfly larvae, mollusks and fish such as the sunfish Lepomis gibbosus caught near the bottom or in open water. Its diet may also include fish eggs and blood red shrimp Hemimysis anomala.
Sexual maturity is reached at 2 to 3 years of age in males and 3 to 4 years of age in females. Spawning begins early at night and continues in the morning, most often near root vegetation or dead tree bodies. The act of reproduction would involve a single large female and several males who mate with the female in turn. The number of eggs is proportional to the size of the female. It can vary from 20,000 to 150,000. The eggs are transparent and average 3.5 mm in diameter. Parents completely abandon egg laying. Hatching occurs between 10 and 27 days at an average temperature of 8°C.
The Yellow Perch habitat
Yellow perch occur in open areas of moderately vegetated lakes and ponds, clear water and muddy, sandy or gravelly bottoms, and in streams with weak currents. It is usually found at temperatures between 19 and 21°C and rarely at a depth of more than ten meters. It can also be found in brackish water on the Atlantic coast. It is active all winter under the ice in shallow water.
Yellow perch is widespread in North America; its distribution is almost circumboreal. It is found in Canada in almost every province: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, central Manitoba, Saskatchewan, southern Alberta (prairie salt lakes) and British Columbia where it has been introduced. The main cause of the expansion of its range in North America is the deliberate introduction by humans.
The Yellow Perch angling
They are fished by line.
