Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Juvenile Perch?

OK, I'm new to the perch game.
I've got lots of these in the rocks at night, I never see them during the day... around 1"-2" long.
Are they this springs baby perch?

It does look like it could be a yellow perch, but if not that, I'd guess a smallmouth bass.

My WAG is SMB.

If it is a smallie, and you didn't know you had them in your pond, how are you going to celebrate??

I would love it!

I do have smallies in the pond, but they are all very young around 8"-10" so not sure if they could have pulled off a spawn this spring. I put them in early last November and they were 4"-5" then.

I think those are small SMB because the vertical bars on the body are too numerous. Bands on a YP number around 8. Normally small SMB have a dark bar on the back of the tail. I do not see that on the fish in the picture. If the fish hatched in May it should if feeding normally should be 4" long. Maybe a late spawn??

Here are some more pics I took of them last night. Like I said they are everywhere...hundreds of them in the rocks, maybe thousands. I only see them at night, during the day I see lots of little shiners and minnows of all sizes schooling and swimming around but none of these they hide or are to deep to see.

Note - FishinRod is terrible at fish identification of juveniles. I am just throwing out more ideas for the experts to consider!

H2Ofwlr, does your pond get water from adjacent creeks? (If so, then any fish species that is present in NW Ohio could be in your ponds?)


I would think at that size, we would be seeing the vertical black stripe on the tail if they were SMB?

Any chance you could have warmouth in your pond? Sometimes they exhibit distinct vertical bars that are present all of the way back to the tail.

Finally, could they be a minnow species? There are lots of different watersheds in your area, and a very diverse population of potential minnows.

You are within the range of the Common Logperch. They are darters, but they may have vertical bars and look similar to young yellow perch (hence their name). However, I believe they have the two very large dorsal fins typical of darters. Do you have any good side profile pics that would show the dorsal fins?

P.S. Playing "Name That Fish!" is an enjoyable Pond Boss game. However, I think you are going to have to catch some in a minnow trap to get a correct identification with high confidence.

SMB is what they are

So the hoofbeats I could hear were NOT zebras? Darn!

No creeks rivers or runoffs within a few miles.

Agree I need to net one up and post a good side view of it...like I said most around 2"

Look like SMB to me. Chased a couple hundred thousand around this summer. Water clarity has a lot to do with patterns on the back. My money is on smallies.

My experience is SMB this size will readily go into a drab colored Gee Minnow Trap. Not sure of the best bait to encourage them to go into a trap. Maybe they enter as a refuge?? My money is also on these are small smallmouths. SMB at 8"-10" are vary capable of spawning when in good habitat thus the current results you are seeing. Where did you get those stocker smallies??

Pure joy!!!!

[quote=Bill Cody]

Last fall I met up with a truck I think from Fenders at Shelby Fish Farm. I had arranged it over the phone, they were there to pick up some pellet trained walleye. I bought 50 SMB that were around 4” at the time from Fenders and pellet trained. It was first week of November. I’m only about a half hour from Shelby’s.

Early summer we were able to catch a few on Ned rigs out of the pond they were around 8” fat and healthy. Since then I see a few come up with the perch every day when I hand feed off the dock.

That they were maybe able to spawn so young is mind blowing. I’ll catch a couple at night this weekend with a net and get some good side view pics for you all to check out for a solid ID. I can’t imagine they will be to hard to catch they stay pretty still with the light shined on them.

I got some nice SMB from Fenders last November also. They were very nice looking fish.

The smallies I got last November went into my neighbor, Lee's pond. They were in that 4" range also, so I wonder if we got a spawn too?? I haven't seen any signs, but I don't get to look at his pond at night with a light.

I love Steve at Shelby Fish Farm! He had a nice adult smallie last month he got out of someone's pond he drained. I didn't realize Fenders stops by there from time to time. I will eventually add one smallie to my tiny pond down the road when I switch from trying to grow trophy YP and SBS to a reproducing population, but so far so good, no signs of reproduction yet!