# Yellow perch ?



## aznflycaster (Dec 3, 2011)

Been catching a good bit of yellow perch and want to keep a few. Looked in the hand book and did not see them listed for length or creel.  Are they called something else or not listed?


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## MTMiller (Dec 3, 2011)

Interesting question.  They don't even mention them in the regs that I can find.  I'd like to know the answer too.  I have a place where I catch a few of them and hear they are good eating.


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## fishfryer (Dec 3, 2011)

I have caught and eaten a few yellow perch over the years. I find them to be delicious,hard to scale though. I've never seen big concentrations,the most I've ever known of are at Lake Juliet.
 Yellow perch will go after crappie minnows. I've not seen bag/size limits either. Maybe they are like yankees,no one wants to acknowledge them living here. I would say to you,try some.


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## supernube (Dec 4, 2011)

I don't think there is a limit, other than the ordinary 40 fish daily creel limit.  No size limit either.  They are almost impossible to scale, but there is a video on youtube that will show you how to skin them using a pocketknife.  It works, but isn't as easy as they make it look.


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## Alan in GA (Dec 4, 2011)

*scale?!*

they FILET perfectly! Just be CAREFUL of the rear edge of the gill plate, it comes to a point in the middle and believe me they can FILET YOU BACK if you put your wet finger against that point!!! Put your 'hold' thumb [I think, I just do it and don't think about where my fingers/thumb is] into the gill area UNDER the razor sharp gill plate when fileting them.
Tasty? YES
tough scales? YES
easy to filet and cook? YES

I tried the roe this spring because they were so big, it was ok but fried down to almost 'air'...just not much there to taste unless I did something wrong.
I love to fish for Yellow Perch! The Chattahoochee is full of them. Troll 2" floating Rapalas or throw 1/16 or 1/8oz jigs with curly tails. Let sink to bottom and bring back slowly just over the bottom, or even jig them ON the bottom if you are in deep enough water [12-14'] in the river. If water is up and running when they generate, then look for eddies by the shore where creeks or other openings creat eddies. They can hole up there, too.
Ultra lite or lite action open face spinning rod, and 4 lb line. Great for yellow perch if you can keep the spots off it : )

2 lbs 1 oz! {the perch, not my toe : ) } on 4 lb line and my own graphite rod with Mitchell 408. Using flourocarbon now.


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## dawg2 (Dec 4, 2011)

Alan in GA said:


> they FILET perfectly! Just be CAREFUL of the rear edge of the gill plate, it comes to a point in the middle and believe me they can FILET YOU BACK if you put your wet finger against that point!!! ....



It's not a gill plate.  it's a RAZOR BLADE  First time I caught one (long, long time ago) I learned my lesson...the hard way.


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## Bowyer29 (Dec 4, 2011)

fishfryer said:


> I have caught and eaten a few yellow perch over the years. I find them to be delicious,hard to scale though. I've never seen big concentrations,the most I've ever known of are at Lake Juliet.
> Yellow perch will go after crappie minnows. I've not seen bag/size limits either. Maybe they are like yankees,no one wants to acknowledge them living here. I would say to you,try some.



Just here collecting my war spoils. What would a bunch of Southerners do without Yankees to gripe about? Oh yeah, I remember.


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## fishfryer (Dec 4, 2011)

Bowyer29 said:


> Just here collecting my war spoils. What would a bunch of Southerners do without Yankees to gripe about? Oh yeah, I remember.



A lot better?


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## Talmadge Harrison (Jan 25, 2019)

Just use a fish scaler with teeth for the yellow perch. No problem! I just fillet and skin the big ones. Best tasting fish in fresh water. No bones other than skeletal.


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## lampern (Jan 26, 2019)

They are non game fish.

There are no limits and you can shoot them with a bow and arrow or speargun.

That said if you fish Lake Hartwell ,SC considers them game fish and enforces a limit and counts them against the 40 fish total limit for Hartwell

The Ga regulations also seem to imply sturgeon are game fish and they are not. They are non game fish as well ( with a closed season)


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## Batjack (Jan 26, 2019)

dawg2 said:


> It's not a gill plate.  it's a RAZOR BLADE  First time I caught one (long, long time ago) I learned my lesson...the hard way.


The same goes for "yellow bass" which are also a "non game" fish in Georgia, but are in Alabama. I've got plenty of scars from just taking out the hook. Sorry for the hi-jack.


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## lampern (Jan 26, 2019)

Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina classify yellow perch as a game fish.

As mentioned yellow bass are a game fish in Alabama waters but not Ga waters.

Alabama and SC have reciprocal agreements with Ga in regards to creel and size limits for some species of fish. I do not believe they apply to yellow bass and perch so one should check.


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## Cmp1 (Jan 26, 2019)

Game fish in MI also,,,,great eating,,,,


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## EDH (Jan 26, 2019)

Alan in GA said:


> *scale?!*
> 
> they FILET perfectly! Just be CAREFUL of the rear edge of the gill plate, it comes to a point in the middle and believe me they can FILET YOU BACK if you put your wet finger against that point!!! Put your 'hold' thumb [I think, I just do it and don't think about where my fingers/thumb is] into the gill area UNDER the razor sharp gill plate when fileting them.
> Tasty? YES
> ...


That’s a monster! I don’t think hunk I’ve ever seen one that big.


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## little rascal (Jan 27, 2019)

I love Yellow Perchies!
http://forum.gon.com/threads/perch-jerking.301066/


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## MikeyD6 (Jan 28, 2019)

Yellow perch are great eating, I used to catch them as a kid in Michigan.  Surprised to know they're in Georgia, I always thought it was too warm for them here.


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## Cmp1 (Jan 28, 2019)

MikeyD6 said:


> Yellow perch are great eating, I used to catch them as a kid in Michigan.  Surprised to know they're in Georgia, I always thought it was too warm for them here.


Great eating,maybe not as good as walleye,,,,but,,,,


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## MikeyD6 (Jan 29, 2019)

Cmp1 said:


> Great eating,maybe not as good as walleye,,,,but,,,,



Yeah well, you take what you can get.  We have crappie and white bass/hybrids.  If you clean the bloodline out they taste as good as anything IMO.


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## Cmp1 (Jan 29, 2019)

MikeyD6 said:


> Yeah well, you take what you can get.  We have crappie and white bass/hybrids.  If you clean the bloodline out they taste as good as anything IMO.


Yep,,,.


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## chrisn1818 (Jan 29, 2019)

Acworth and Alatoona are eat up with them. They are 3-4 inches long and will eat every minnow you have. They are pests!!! Keep them all. Sure it is different in cold water lakes where they get a little bigger.


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## 35 Whelen (Jan 29, 2019)

Caught a lot of perch in Lake Erie when I was a kid.


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## little rascal (Feb 3, 2019)

chrisn1818 said:


> Acworth and Alatoona are eat up with them. They are 3-4 inches long and will eat every minnow you have. They are pests!!! Keep them all.


I've caught two at Kellogg, one at Blockhouse. Wished they would grow a little and you could catch them all over the lake. Fine eating! Below Allatoona dam there has been some big'uns caught.


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## devolve (Feb 4, 2019)

Love em!


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## Dialer (Feb 5, 2019)

So THATS what those are (Derrrr).   They are a lot of fun to catch in a kayak! The ones I caught were much smaller than those.


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## lampern (Feb 9, 2019)

If you would like to see yellow perch listed as a game fish (to simplify the regulations with neighboring states) send an email to state Senator Sally Harrell:

Sally.Harrell@senate.georgia.gov

Just mention you would like yellow perch legally classified as a game fish by the legislature.


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## Coenen (Feb 9, 2019)

devolve said:


> Love em!


You're about two slices of rye toast, some slaw and a cold beer away from a feast fit for a king! ?


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## Tom W. (Feb 10, 2019)

When I lived in Pennsylvania and Upstate N.Y. I used to catch a lot of decent size yellow perch.

Here in Alabama I seldom caught one that was over 6 inches.....


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## deputy430 (Feb 14, 2019)

supernube said:


> I don't think there is a limit, other than the ordinary 40 fish daily creel limit.  No size limit either.  They are almost impossible to scale, but there is a video on youtube that will show you how to skin them using a pocketknife.  It works, but isn't as easy as they make it look.


Okay I have seen several people mention a 40 per day limit for fish........ Bream/sun fish have a daily limit of 50 in GA. how can you catch 50 if there is a 40 day limit?


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## lampern (Feb 14, 2019)

The 40 a day limit is for waters shared with South Carolina.

They also have limits on perch.

Ga does not


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## Canuck5 (Feb 14, 2019)

My favorite fish ....... caught in the great lakes, ice fishing.  Fillet the bigger ones.  You will never want to eat anything else except maybe Walleye (Pickerel).


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