Yellow Perch are targeted by anglers. These wonderful fish are tasty and fun to catch. They can be found in most states and offer great fishing.
A Maryland angler, Tom Dembeck Jr., recently caught Maryland’s new state record Jumbo Yellow Ned.
On Feb. 7th, Tom was jigging for perch in the Lower Susquehanna River, in the Chesapeake Bay watershed of Maryland. His double jig was made of two dropper loops and a 1 oz. sinker at the bottom. Each loop had a 1/8 oz. jig head with a 1-inch plastic paddle tail attached. He was jigging in fifty feet of water when he hooked up.
Initially, he was not excited about the hook up. He continued to watch the nearby eagles and ducks as he reeled in the catch. Suddenly, the battle increased, and he saw what looked like a “Yellow Submarine” coming to the surface.
The Jumbo Maryland certified state record weighed in at 2.3lbs. and was 16 inches long! This Jumbo broke the state’s current record, from 46 years ago.
Yellow Perch live for 8-10 years. They grow to 4-5 inches long in 2 years. To become Jumbo’s, Yellow Perch occasionally live up to 13-14 years. Most Jumbo perch are egg bearing females. Males are nicknamed “Neds”, and females are known as “Roe’s”. Eggs, or fish Roe, are a delicacy to eat. The tender filets are wonderful fish fare.
Idaho boasts plenty of the largest Jumbo perch. A 3.2 lb. Jumbo was caught at Lake Cascade, through the ice, in 2021. This Jumbo, caught by a Wisconsin angler, Adam Mann, was the largest record fish caught ice fishing that I know of. They estimated the age of this 17-inch perch to be 13 years old.
Montana is home to Big Perch, but the State Jumbo record is just 14.3 inches long, and weighed in at 2.39 lbs. This Jumbo was caught by Josh Emmert at the Lower Stillwater Lake in Big Sky Country.
Currently ice fishing for Yellow Perch is on most Montana IceMen’s bucket lists. Holter lake, Canyon Ferry Lake, and Fort Peck Reservoir have large populations of these wonderful fish. Local community ponds also have “perch for the pickin”.
Hungry perch will eat most baits, as they prepare for their Spring spawning.
Catch a Jumbo!
Montana Grant
