Thread: White perch - as bad as they say they are in different states?

Originally Posted by crappiefarmer

I live in the white perch capital of the world. People have fished for white perch here like others fish for crappie or walleye in other areas of the country. White perch fishing here was popular before anyone started fishing for largemouth bass as a target species.

They are delicious. They rank right up there with crappie and yellow perch. When they are hitting, you can catch them by the cooler full.

Luckily, the perch migrate to a different part of the sound at the time that crappie spawn so they don't seem to be an issue to the crappie population here. They also don't seem to be a problem in tributaries where there is a good yellow perch population.

Folks catch them in three ways mostly here. long line trolling beetle spins tipped with a small piece of shrimp, using standard bottom rigs with shrimp, or using sabiki rigs which have been killer the last several years and can catch 4 or 5 at a time. They fight twice as hard as a crappie as they are first cousin to a white bass and a striped bass. They have white sides like a white bass with only one lateral line.CF

White perch, crappie and sac-a-lait are the same thing, called different depending on where you live in the Louisiana. They are highly sought after, have a pro fishing circuit, and are the best tasting fish period. No one here calls them crappie.

Originally Posted by Oldyankee

White perch, crappie and sac-a-lait are the same thing ...

Maybe in Louisiana, but this thread is about another fish called the white perch. It is not a crappie.

See posts 19 and 27.

You have there a white bass.

The easiest way to tell the perch from the white bass is to lift the front dorsal fin. If the back one comes up with it you have a perch, otherwise it is a white bass. Had a marine biologist tell me that after numerous attempts to tell them apart. There are other differences but this is the easiest way to determine.
Here is a link http://www.identicards.com/allaboutf...asp?fish=white perch
It states in this link that the dorsal fin is not separated which is why both parts come up if you lift one, not so the white bass,

I live in central PA, and all the lakes are "over run" with White Perch!

I say "thank God" they breed fast, are great fighters, they will hit a crappie jig or a fly with gusto, and they are excellent table fare.

They seem to dominate a lake, but they don't bother the crappie or bluegill. Some say the white perch will eat the small walleye, but I would rather catch one thousand white perch rather than a walleye or two?

Delicious firm white meat, that are equal to crappie, when you fillet them. They grow fast, the average size in PA is about 10" to 11"





Those two fish pan fried:






Kinda like a little striped bass?

Originally Posted by Crappitier

I live in central PA, and all the lakes are "over run" with White Perch!

I say "thank God" they breed fast, are great fighters, they will hit a crappie jig or a fly with gusto, and they are excellent table fare.

They seem to dominate a lake, but they don't bother the crappie or bluegill. Some say the white perch will eat the small walleye, but I would rather catch one thousand white perch rather than a walleye or two?

Delicious firm white meat, that are equal to crappie, when you fillet them. They grow fast, the average size in PA is about 10" to 11"





Those two fish pan fried:






Kinda like a little striped bass?

YES!!!!! Those are real white perch. For those that don't know, this is the what the Real White perch looks like. That is its name and it has no other. It is in the same family as the striped bass and white bass and has characteristics of those fish. It is natural to brackish water areas but can thrive in fresh water, has been introduced to many lakes and is considered a bad fish to have in the mix. If You have these fish in your lake and have never eaten one, TRY IT!!!!! It is just as good as crappie. Some people around my home say they are the best eating fish that swims. We Have no limit and You can fill a whole cooler full of these fish at times. they pull hard and are ferocious feeders. Shrimp is probably the best known bait for them here but beetlespins hammer them along with sabiki rigs and many other small plastics. Minnows work too. You can spider rig and long line troll for them but if You hit a school, You may have to put some rods up. i mean to just using one rod when they are on.CF

They have appeared suddenly in my lake a few years ago. They are all over and very aggresive. They suspend in the summer and bust the shad on the surface with the bass. Very gold in color here.

White perch, white bass, striped bas, and hybrids are in the BASS family

Largemouth, smallmouth, spotted bass, rock bass, crappie, bluegill and other sunfish are in the SUNFISH family.

Walleye, sauger and yellow perch are in the PERCH family