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[font "Calibri"]Hit Echo yesterday for a little perch action. Iced a ton of fish but most where dinks. Did manage a handful of nicer fish but you had to weed through a lot of the smaller fish to get them. One pig came in at almost 14”, new personal best, 1.3 LBS.
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Edges are in good shape No slush just a light skiff of snow making easy travel.
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Wow! Very nice!
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That's a very nice perch!
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[#0000FF]Lovely. Looks like some of last year's scarce footlongs have survived to grow a bit.
Too bad that isn't the average size. Then Echo really would be a city most days.
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Very nice Perch!
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Awesome fish! Congrats!
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Congrats! I've weeded through hundreds there this year and have come up with a few 10"ers and one 11"er. Can't wait to find a couple of these. Just think, the WR perch is TWICE that big!
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Impressive! I wonder why we don't see perch like this in the open water season?
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[font "Calibri"]I could be out in left field but my take is that perch fishing is more of a finesse presentation which can be a little more difficult when you factor in both wind and waves. But it is still possible. Photo was from Pineview this last November. Thank you IPilot!!! [/font]
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Ah for the good ol days, eh TD !! That used to be an average fish at Yuba many years ago. You used to also be able to get a few like that at Deer Creek in the bygone past. Good job there !!
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Wow nice catch and nice catch!
Thanks for sharing and the pics
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[#0000FF]Whimper - whimper. Ah yes, the former glory days at Yuba. Likely to never live long enough to see anything like that again.
Ditto for Deer Creek...since the smallies have taken over.
Maybe for Starvation. I have got some 14 inchers there, before the crash. But it looks like the perch may be on the rebound there too.
Since a lot of smaller perch are showing in Echo now...and since it has proven capable of kicking out larger perch...there is reason for optimism that a couple of good water years will help grow more and bigger fishies for the coming years.
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Nice Catch Trevor. We were out there Monday morning too. We didn't get anything that big though. My biggest was just over 10"
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That is one great looking PIG!
As one who has just discovered the joy of perch jerking, may I solicit some information from the experienced?
1) Do you find that perch tend to school with fish of similar size?
2) If I am over a school of perch and have pulled out several five to seven inchers, am I better off to stick with the school and weed through them for the keepers? Or change locations in search of a better size class?
Thanks for the knowledge.
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I caught a 12" perch a few years ago at Pineview and boy did it fight. I thought I had a bass it fought so well. Great catch!
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I had to call in sick so I could go to Lake Powell!
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[#0000FF]Never say never...and never say always...especially when it comes to perch. They can behave differently from water to water...or even on the same water from day to day. The big ones are mostly females and you know how females are. The do what they want, when they want...for their own reasons.
That being said, it is not uncommon for fish from the same hatchings to hang out together. Otherwise, the bigger ones might eat the smaller ones. It happens. But once they reach at least six inches you might find different sized fish in the same school.
It has been my experience over the years that the very biggest perch tend to be loners. You catch one here and one there. At least that is the case in waters where there are very few of the very large ones. If the average fish is running larger you will find more large ones together.
I have had experiences where there were lots of perch in a school and only occasionally got a larger one. If I suspect there are bigger ones around, I upsize my lure and my bait...using a spoon or large jig...with a large piece of perch meat rather than a wimpy wax worm. You will still get bites from the smaller fish. But they feel more like a "rattle rattle". Don't set the hook on these. Wait for a solid chomp, a pull-down and/or a "rubber band" feel with some weight. Those will be perch "jaws".
The big problem with trying to hook larger fish in some cases is that the smaller ones are faster and more aggressive. You drop your "sweetened" jig down and it is met by the teenagers before it can get down to the more cautious bigguns. If you are using "bitty bite" lures and baits the smaller fish gulp and go before the larger fish can swim in, take a good long look and then snarf it. But if the bigger fish are there, they will keep watching for a chance and if your offering makes it through the small fish reception committee you might get connected to something larger.
I have watched how schools of perch interact both through clear water and on camera. It becomes a fun video game to try to keep your jigs away from the smaller fish and get it down to the bigger ones. The reward is when you can pinball your jig in front of a larger fish, watch them chomp it and then feel the extra weight when you set the hook. Without the benefit of a camera...or being able to watch the fish below through clear water...you gotta just play the odds and second guess them when you can.
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Thank you for the wise council. On my next outing, after locating a school I will upsize lure and sweetener. My problem will be having the patience to wait for the big strike. Thanks again.
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