Yellow Perch

Where to go

Yellow Perch lake by lake

Ranked by how good the fishing actually is, not alphabetically. If a lake is not on this list, it is because the fish is not worth targeting there.

1. 01

   Lake Erie

   Lake Erie grows more yellow perch than any water in North America, and from September through November they are stacked in 45 to 65 feet off the Ohio central basin ports. Bring a bucket of emerald shiners, a spreader rig, and a cooler you are prepared to fill.

   Prime time: Late August through November, with October the peak · Depths: 30–45 ft in the western basin; 45–65 ft off the central basin ports

   Full guide
2. 02

   Lake Michigan

   Lake Michigan perch fishing is a shadow of its 1980s self and still worth doing, especially from the southern harbors where a city angler can walk to it. Fish the Chicago and Indiana harbors in late summer, Green Bay and the Bays de Noc for the best numbers.

   Prime time: July through October in the southern basin; December through March on Green Bay ice · Depths: 20–45 ft over sand and rubble in the southern basin; 8–25 ft in Green Bay and the drowned river lakes

   Full guide
3. 03

   Lake St. Clair

   St. Clair perch fishing is an Anchor Bay winter fishery first and a summer flats fishery second, and it is the easiest big-water perch access in Michigan. Eleven feet of average depth means you can be on fish inside ten minutes of the ramp.

   Prime time: January through early March on ice; July through October open water · Depths: 6–14 ft over sand, grass edges and old dredge cuts

   Full guide
4. 04

   Lake Huron

   Saginaw Bay and the Les Cheneaux Islands are the two Lake Huron perch fisheries worth planning a trip around, and they could not be more different. The bay gives you numbers from a boat; Les Cheneaux gives you the best jumbo perch ice fishing in Michigan.

   Prime time: July through October on Saginaw Bay; January through early March on the Les Cheneaux ice · Depths: 6–18 ft on the Saginaw Bay flats; 12–30 ft in the Les Cheneaux channels

   Full guide
5. 05

   Lake Ontario

   Lake Ontario perch fishing happens in the bays, not on the open lake, and the eastern basin around Chaumont produces the biggest fish in New York. Come in late fall or on winter ice, and expect to have most of the water to yourself.

   Prime time: September through November open water; January through February on bay ice · Depths: 8–25 ft over weed edges and channel breaks inside the bays

   Full guide