Pond Boss Forums FISH & FISHING Fly Fishing & Other Fish Species Yellow Perch

I am gradually collecting more information and working on a new series of articles about YP for Pond Boss magazine. Yellow perch are my passion. CB1 calls me Dr. Perca (Perca genus name of YP). I should probably get busy and finish those articles this year.

YP especially those domesticated for several years will readily accept pellets. Although as with any pellet raised fish, the number of offspring from those original pellet trained stockers that become trained to pellets is highly variable and depends primarily on how those recruitment fish are managed. Thus after stocking any pellet raised fish, and when those original stockers die of old age or are harvested, the pond MAY not have very many pellet eating fish. The pond may have to receive supplimental stockings of larger pellet raised YP to maintain a higher number of pellet eating YP. It all depends!

Spawning - YP will usually lay eggs in shallow water near or very close to the shoreline if there are weeds or branches available for attaching their egg strands or ribbons. In early spring when YP spawn (50F), usually the only weed growth available are the old weed stems from last year's growth. Undraped egg strands laid at any depth will sink to the bottom where hatching percentage is always lower. Perch will lay eggs on structure in deep water (6-20ft deep), but I don't think that is the usual or preferred location. I am not familiar with primrose, but any vegetation or tree branches present in shallow water when YP spawn (48-54F) very early in the growing season will be used for draping their egg ribbons.

All the BEST and most successful YP ponds in my area do not have any LMB. Note the goal for these ponds are to have lots of large YP for harvest and not for growing primarily a forage or panfish to feed bucket mouth bass or aka green carp. Note Dr. Willis in the Upper Northwest Central US is able to utilize LMB with YP and is fairly successful. I think in his situations most of the ponds he has studied are larger ponds (+ - abt 5 ac). My preferred choices for commonly available alternative predators with YP in smaller ponds in order preference are: SMB &or HSB, WE, and even CC, NP, although the CC and NP will get large enough to be eating the larger YP. The three main problems that I have with LMB are 1. they decimate the small soft rayed forage fish community that is VERY important for growing numerous, large YP; 2. the LMB (12"-18") are able to eat and do target larger fusiform shaped YP compared to BG or other sunfish/crappie, and 3. LMB are prolific and in abundance they preferrably eat most all, if not all the 2"-7" YP before those YP can grow large enough (2-4yrs) to avoid predation and be available for harvest (8"-12"). This results in a very low number of YP available for harvest. Note heavy, dense cover will protect small YP from the heavy LMB predation. But who wants a pond with an abundance of heavy, dense cover, usually involving lots of underwater ever expanding and often nuisance weeds that make angling and management a chore? IMO the YP should be grown and harvested primarily for table use, not used to feed LMB.

Be forewarned that since YP are considered a cool water species, the maximum water temperatures in your St Louis region may be too high (90+F) for good survival of the largest oldest YP (12-14"). I do not have a lot of data on this topic from southern growers. The strain or adapted acclimation of YP may have some affect on this temperature issue. We do see some mortality of the largest YP due to heat stress during some NW Ohio summers.

IMO and probably that of several others here, is that it is not a good idea to introduce YP into a pond where the goal is primarily trophy BG. YP are a predator panfish and will definately compete with BG for invertebrate foods. This has to influence the BG population to some degree. It will depend on how much influence an the trophy BG are you willing to tolerate? The more the large BG are devoted to feeding on pellets the less the influence from YP will be. Definately the addition of another species to the pond system, will make the food chain and management more complex. If you want YP just for diversity with minimal competitive influence consider adding only female YP. YP are easy to recognize the sex during spawning season.

Have you read my old 3 articles from Farm Pond Harvest magazine about YP if the goal is primarily YP?