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Yellow Perch

Perca flavescens · also: jumbo, perchaude

The best-eating fish in the lake and the most fun on light tackle. Schools, so find one and stay.

Where to find them

Lake Simcoe, Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair, Lac Saint-Pierre, Lake Winnipeg, every bay of every lake with weeds.

Rigs by season

SeasonWhere and what to tie
SpringShallow weeds and reeds. Fixed bobber with a worm piece or minnow, small jigs.
SummerDeeper weed edges and flats. Hi-lo rig with minnows, drop shot with small plastics.
FallBig schools on deep flats. Hi-lo rig, small blade baits.
WinterIce fishing on flats and weed edges with tungsten jigs, spikes and minnow heads.

Gear

Ultralight 5'6"–6'6" rod with 4 lb line; ice: 26–30" light rod with 3–4 lb ice line.

Bait and lures

Minnows, worm pieces, waxworms, small tube jigs and spoons.

Tips

  • If you catch one, stay put and drop right back down.
  • Jumbos hold slightly deeper than the small ones.

Rigs for yellow perch

10 rigs

Drop-Shot Rig diagramBraid main lineFG / Alberto knotFluoro leaderHook stands out, point upTag end 12–24"Drop-shot weight

Drop-Shot Rig

The weight goes on the bottom and the hook is tied above it, so the bait hovers off the bottom right where suspended fish feed. The number one finesse rig for smallmouth in Ontario and Quebec.

bassBeginnerSmallmouth BassLargemouth Bass
Ned Rig diagramLight fluoro or braid + leaderPalomar knotMushroom head + buoyant stick

Ned Rig

A short, buoyant plastic on a light mushroom-shaped jighead that stands up on bottom. The rig that made "do nothing" finesse fishing famous — and a smallmouth killer in Canadian rivers and lakes.

bassBeginnerSmallmouth BassLargemouth Bass
Slip Bobber Rig diagramMono 6–8 lbBobber stop (sets depth)BeadSlip float (slides)Split shot12–18"Octopus hook + leech

Slip Bobber Rig

A bobber stop, a bead and a sliding float let you fish live bait at any exact depth and still cast easily. The rig that puts walleye in the boat on rock reefs at dusk.

walleyeBeginnerWalleyeBlack Crappie
Fixed Bobber Rig diagramMono 4–6 lbClip-on float (fixed)1–4 ftSplit shot6–10"#6–#10 hook + worm

Fixed Bobber Rig

A clip-on float, a split shot and a baited hook. The rig that catches everyone their first fish off a dock — and still fills a bucket with perch and sunfish.

panfishBeginnerSunfish & Rock BassYellow Perch
Crawler Harness (Spinner Rig) diagramFrom bottom bouncerSwivel / snapColorado blade6 beadsFront hookRear hook

Crawler Harness (Spinner Rig)

A spinner blade, a run of beads and two snelled hooks on a leader, trolled behind a bottom bouncer with a nightcrawler stretched along the hooks. The summer walleye rig on Erie, Simcoe, Nipissing and the prairie reservoirs.

walleyeIntermediateWalleyeSauger
Split-Shot Rig diagramMono 4–6 lbSplit shot (1–2)12–18"#6–#10 baitholder + worm

Split-Shot Rig

One or two split shot pinched on the line above a small baited hook. The simplest bottom rig there is and the standard for drifting worms for stream trout.

troutBeginnerTrout (Brook, Brown, Rainbow, Lake)Yellow Perch
Hi-Lo Rig (Dropper Loop Rig) diagramMain line Barrel swivelDropper loop #1Hook12–18"Dropper loop #2Hook8–10"Bell sinker

Hi-Lo Rig (Dropper Loop Rig)

A sinker at the bottom and one or two hooks on dropper loops above it. Two baits at two depths, perfect for perch schools and bottom feeders, and it drops straight down through an ice hole.

panfishIntermediateYellow PerchChannel Catfish
Tip-Up Rig diagramDacron tip-up line Barrel swivelFluoro or wire leader 18–24"Split shot12"Hook + live minnow

Tip-Up Rig

The line, leader and hook that go on a tip-up so a live or dead bait hangs at a set depth and a flag pops when a fish takes it. The rig for a day on the ice with a few holes spread across a flat.

iceBeginnerNorthern PikeWalleye
Ice Jigging Rig diagramIce fluoro / braid Micro swivelFluoro leader 12–24"Jigging spoon + minnow head

Ice Jigging Rig

A light braid or fluoro main line, a small swivel to kill twist, a short fluoro leader and a jigging spoon, tungsten jig or lipless bait tipped with a minnow head. The active rig for hole-hopping walleye, perch and crappie.

iceBeginnerWalleyeYellow Perch
Nymph Indicator Rig diagramTapered leaderStrike indicator1.5× depthSplit shotPoint nymph (weighted)Tippet 12–18"Dropper nymph

Nymph Indicator Rig

A strike indicator, a tapered leader, split shot and one or two weighted nymphs drifting dead along the bottom. The fly-fishing rig that catches trout 90 percent of the days when nothing is rising.

troutIntermediateTrout (Brook, Brown, Rainbow, Lake)Steelhead & Salmon