Jumbo Yellow Perch Fishing on Lake Erie

​Jumbo Yellow Perch Fishing on Lake Erie
​Fishing is one of my favourite sports.  To me there is nothing more relaxing then getting out on any lake early in the morning and enjoying being on the water, enjoying beautiful weather, great friends and catching a few fish for dinner. I have been fishing walleye and bass on Lake Erie for many years but only in that 4 years have I discovered the best times for fishing jumbo perch.

Jumbo Perch Lake Erie Sept. 2010
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Perch are Great for Eating
If you like eating your catch of fish, jumbo perch on Lake Erie are among the finest eating fish you can catch.  They provide the size to give you a descent sized meal and provide a taste that can’t be beat.  They are some of the few fish my family enjoy.

Yellow Perch Fishing
Most if not all the jumbo perch I have caught are yellow perch.  They have a distinct bright yellow with black stripes and range from 9-14 inches length!  They are strong and can put up a descent fight.
When and Where You Can Find Jumbo Yellow Perch in Lake Erie

There are numerous locations on Lake Erie that are great for jumbo perch fishing, but you need to go at the right times of year.  Lake Erie is huge and if you don’t hit the right spots and the right times, you may be disappointed.  I find the best times are the spring from about early May to about early June and in the Fall, from late September to early November.

14-in-Jumbo-Oct.2,2010
Jumbo yellow perch can be found out off any major rivers along all shores of Lake Erie on both the Canadian and American sides.  The jumbo perch are foraging for food and will follow large bait balls. They also hang around any structure possible, but structure is hard to find unless you are near shore.  However, if you’re new to jumbo perch fishing , then you’ll want to go out at the right times and look for all the other boats!  Remember you don’t need to be too close to other boats. Foraging jumbo perch will cover a large area.
I go about 4-5 miles out, in 50-60 feet of water off shore.  I start checking the fish finder when I get to 50 feet, and when I mark few on the bottom, I stop, throw out the anchor, and start fishing. I drop the bait straight down until I hit bottom, then retrieve the line about 1-2 feet off the bottom and wait.  If a school goes through, the action can be non-stop for a couple of hours.

Lake Erie Jumbo Yellow Perch Nov.9 2010
There are also times when these jumbos come into shallow waters to feed.  It seems that these times are short and I have found, it is difficult to predict. Unless you have direct information from a friend, it is difficult to determine the best times for catching jumbo yellow perch on-shore.
Minnows Are My Bait of Choice for Perch FishingI have been extremely successful with minnows catching jumbo yellow perch in the spring and fall on Lake Erie.  I have not used anything else because I know minnows work.  I use a simple traditional perch fishing harness baited with a live minnow. I hook minnows through the mouth because I feel most jumbos feed on the minnow’s head first.  However, minnows hooked through the backs will last longer on the line.
When I find a few jumbos on the fish finder and catch one, I waste no time re-baiting and getting the bait back down.  With perch its important that you keep up the activity, so that more fish will be attracted to the feeding activity and will remain in the area as long as bait is present.
Stay tuned for more detailed information on the gear I use and the jumbo perch fishing techniques that work for me.
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Maddalena Environmental Inc.
Al Maddalena