Lake Erie Perch Fishing Tips and Facts

Perch fishing in Lake Erie, in the central basin of Lake Erie is going to be the best it has been in decades. Many jumbo perch will begin showing up in the shallow water in the spring. Most of the perch will be caught in 25 to 35 feet of water early in the year. Most of these fish will be in the 8 to 14 inch range because of the great hatches of 2003, 2005 and 2007.

We are located right in the middle of the central basin where the largest perch stay all year. The limit for 2010 is 30 perch per person in our location. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has kept the Lake Erie perch fishing limit to 25 in the western basin of Lake Erie because of shallow water and smaller fish.

As the waters warm with summer, we will move to deeper water up to 65 feet. These fish like the deeper cooler water because of the large schools of bait fish which move there during the summer months. As fall arrives, we begin catching massive amounts of jumbo perch! These fish are feeding heavily for winter and limits are caught in less than a couple of hours daily.

Our fishing techniques are very simple for Lake Erie perch fishing which makes it especially good for children. We use light weight rods and reels with perch spreaders and crappie rigs tipped with minnows or emerald shiners. Our reels are spooled with 4# diameter braided power pro line for a sensitive feel.

Sometimes we anchor up on the fish and dump stones or egg shells into the water to get them fired up. This seems to act like bait fish and really turns them on. These tasty fish are a cousin of the walleye and make for some of the finest dining in the world. We hope this has given you an idea on how and where we fish for this fabulous table fare.

Thank you!!

Captain Jeff