perch patterns

[perchfisher]

last year me and my friend caught perch like wildfire rite off our dock. any bait or lure would make them nuts. this year we have only caught 5 or 6 perch the whole summer. we have started to catch more walleye and crappie. could that be why the perch have left?

[bigdave1018]

even on a lake,try selective harvest and try and release most of the females with eggs. i know its tough doing this because the females are usually bigger then the males but the long range effects will offset and make for better perch fishing in the future. tight lines perchfisher.

[TJ]

To Perchfisher: If you are catching walleye and crappie now, the perch have moved to a differant part of the lake. Probably not too far away, but a little exploring will have to be done. Talk to some of the fisherman coming off the lake as to if they are targeting perch and the locations. You see the walleye eat the young perch and the crappie compete for the same food. You still got 5-6 so there are still around to a point.

To bigdave1018: Your advice to the lad about selective harvest has no bearing as to his question. As I see in some of your other posts you have selective harvest on the brain. Your advice can not be taken seriously because
1- you have no idea to the size and location of this lake or its fishing pressure
2- if you knew anything about perch breeding, you would be asking questions first.

[bigdave1018]

yo tj common sense will tell you if you keep all of the females in a lake ,the lakes future is bleak. i dont know you but ive been fishing 40 years and have caught more fish in those years then id like to admit. im still learning so ease up on your comments,tj. tight lines and c & r on all game fish and or selective harvest. the future of YOUR lake might depend on it TJ!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[TroutFishingBear]

I agree with you bigdave.

Tj, sometimes selective harvest can mean keeping a huge limit of like 20 or 50 per person if the lake needs it if the perch are overpop. But I can understand you saying that selective harvest isn't always the best, and your right. but bigdave was just trying to help as he is right about almost all fisheries.

[perchfisher]

i agree with tj because i no that the perch werent over fished there were over 3 thousand perch in the counted last year in a net survey and nobody can outfish that many. i think that the walleye and crappie, being more agrresive are eating the perch and there food.

[fishersofmen]

[you guys gotta be nuts....these are panfish....not bass....the bigest problems with panfish is they overpopulate a lake...also....the big ones are NOT the good producers.....so your keeping the 9" perch hurt the future way more than me keeping the 13" perch....must belong to peta or something opposed to fishing....that is why i do not fish bass...you do hurt the lake by removing these fish....not with perch...unless you are taking buckets and buckets as in north dakota where they had to put limits on perch...stevequote author=TroutFishingBear link=topic=4394.msg35880#msg35880 date=1094332874]
I agree with you bigdave.

Tj, sometimes selective harvest can mean keeping a huge limit of like 20 or 50 per person if the lake needs it if the perch are overpop. But I can understand you saying that selective harvest isn't always the best, and your right. but bigdave was just trying to help as he is right about almost all fisheries.