Yes, we’ve kept yellow perch in the jumbo aquarium at In-Fisherman headquarters, along with almost every North American gamefish. Once accustomed to captivity, each species demonstrates certain behavioral characteristics that differentiate it from other species.

Perch are noteworthy for their watchful curiosity, as well as their huge appetite. The only fish that cleaned out the minnows faster was Steve Hoffman’s blue catfish, and then that rascal turned on the jumbo bluegill, crappies, and perch that abided with it for a time.

When we toss in a handful of minnows, the perch are immediately aware of the prey and smoothly close in, gliding along several inches above the bottom. They move in close, then make a kind of Jackie Chan move, combining a greedy lunge with a bass-like engulfing motion to take a minnow into their mouths.

Many of these characteristics verify what science tells us about the nature of perch and matches our experiences when fishing them through the ice and in open water. Let’s begin with a look at the sensory systems of the yellow perch.

Vision

The eyes of yellow perch are medium-size and set on the side of their heads. This offers better peripheral vision and good long-range vision, more like a pike than a bluegill. This alerts them quickly to potential prey and potential danger. On the other hand, they can’t focus so well at close range like crappies or bluegills, lacking the specialized muscles on the lens that move it outward to view close objects, like the zoom lens on a camera.

Perch possess color vision, and their fairly close relationship to walleyes suggests that they’re sensitive to wavelengths in the orange, chartreuse, and green range. And we know that silver and gold flash can be deadly as well.

Perch, however, lack the wonderful reflective eyes of the walleye and see poorly after dark. Indeed, fish in the aquarium squat on the bottom and scoot out of sight when the lights are turned on. Walleyes, in contrast, always cruise about actively, then shoot to the bottom and sit motionless when the lights go on. This makes small perch a prime prey for walleyes who often occupy the same deep rocky structures and major flats during winter.

Hearing

Most fish are thought to have an excellent sense of hearing, based on the structure of their inner ear and on behavioral tests with some species (none have been done on perch). Underwater sounds travel so far and so fast (almost five times faster than in air) that fish are surrounded by sound. We suppose that, like people at a party, fish tune out many of the ambient sounds around them, responding to those that represent food or danger, or that arouse curiosity.

Like most North American gamefish, perch are intermediate in hearing ability, acuity, and range, based on the structure of their hearing system. The structure of their inner ear suggests that perch probably detect sound waves from about 10 cycles per second Hertz to perhaps 1,000 Hertz.

Lateral Line Sense

Midway down the side of most fishes exists a series of pores we call the lateral line. This is a sensory array that picks up vibration carried by low-frequency water displacement. The fish’s brain translates this sensory input into information it can use, about the approach and movements of predators and prey. Vibration seems to be a powerful force in the world of perch, and certainly it affects all fish more than we can imagine. Humans completely lack this sense, which provides fish and aquatic amphibians with information about their environment.

Smell

A close look at a perch’s snout reveals a pair of nostrils or nares on each side. The forward opening where water enters the olfactory chamber and the rear port where it exits is visible. Inside each chamber, water washes over the feathery olfactory organ, where sensors detect dilute concentrations of substances. Eels and minnows are the most sensitive sniffers, while trout and salmon have far more powerful olfactory abilities than bass, walleyes, or perch.

Still, perch likely use their sense of smell in the decision whether to bite a bait. Hence the attraction of a minnow head or the traditional perch eye (illegal in some states). And applying a formula, whether an extract of natural prey like shad, crayfish, minnow, leech, or an artificial amino acid concoction, can in theory increase odds of perch biting and holding an artificial. Thicker paste formulas, of course, adhere to a lure longer, and sponge or cotton accessories hold flavors well.

Taste

Like smell, a fish’s sense of taste occurs in a medium where molecules are dissolved in water. As a result, it is hard to distinguish whether olfaction or taste is responsible for a reaction. Unlike catfish and other barbelled species like carp, burbot, and drum, perch have taste buds only around the lips and mouth.

Taste is important to all fish, as it can distinguish dinner from disaster, often the final barrier between fish and fisherman. I’ve watched perch inhale a bait, decide it was objectionable (despite an apparently tasty package) and eject it in a split second, without the angler ever knowing he was bit. Even a minifloat may barely quiver. And, even if the angler knows he had a bite, no reaction is fast enough.

The lab staff at Pure Fishing are leaders in flavor formulas, but they have not yet tested perch, nor tailored a flavor for them. Flavors found in natural foods likely encourage fish to hold a bait, and live or recently killed minnows are rarely rejected. Maggots of various sorts, leaking their life juices, also are favored.

Movements and Habitat

Specific sensory systems of the perch have not been studied, but some tracking studies of yellow perch have been done. One in Wisconsin, using radio transmitters, proved that perch, at times, suspend above the thermocline, then dive through 30 feet or more of unoxygenated water to feed on bottom-dwelling worms before rushing back above the thermocline like little pearl divers.

Fishery researchers from Nova Scotia also found that yellow perch break into groups at spawning time, returning to places where they had previously spawned. Late winter is a time of transition for perch. Studies and angler efforts both indicate that perch move in winter, and the larger the environment, the farther they tend to wander.

In early winter, their movements probably are related to forage needs and avoiding predation. After cropping down an area, they move on to more fertile feeding grounds, or to keep larger schools of predators from getting a fix on them. Perch are a prized catch for walleyes and pike, too. And by late winter, perch may begin to move in the general direction of spawning areas, especially in larger lakes.

During winter, preparation for the spawn seems utmost in the minds of perch. As winter progresses, the size of perch ovaries and testes grows, fueled by heavy feeding. By late March, big females are so fat they can hardly swim. The result is generally good perch action, once the fish are located.

When considering location, the yellow perch is a fish of the flats. In river oxbows and backwaters, extensive 5- to 7-foot flats extending offshore hold legions of fish. Here, perch swim along weedlines, poking into pockets for prey. A similar pattern develops at vast Leech Lake in Minnesota, where major portions of the lake are less than 12 feet deep. Fish wander among old clumps of weeds, feeding on bottom-dwelling invertebrates and schools of small minnows.

In other lakes, however, shallow flats hold mini-perch, young bait stealers that feed walleyes, eelpout, and anything else interested in a tasty if spiny meal. Larger perch and legendary “jumbos” hold deeper, perhaps in the 20- to 40-foot range. But areas with large flat zones are productive. In Lake Michigan, anglers often locate perch in water 50 feet deep, on bottoms of mixed sand, gravel, rock, and mud. Here perch feed on invertebrates.

But where to fish on such vast, relatively featureless areas? Humps or ridges that rise from a deep flat provide edges that may hold roving bands of perch. Predators like walleyes certainly use these areas as feeding zones to ravage perch as night falls. The bases of islands, reefs and mud flats offer edges that provide logical starting points.

Finding perch requires lots of legwork unless some adventurous buddies have already determined the location of a school. But beware. A report of a hot bite last week may or may not pinpoint action now. For large groups of perch roam, presumably to feed. Once they crop an area, it’s on to greener flats. Plotting their direction can be frustrating without a little teamwork.

Using The Data

The particulars regarding perch vision provide some unique insights into strategies for catching these robust and tasty gamefish. Their vision characteristic—great peripheral and long-range vision—means you can quickly ascertain the potential of a spot where you’ve drilled a hole. Aggressive lures like spoons make great search lures for perch. Knowing perch can see a spoon at a distance in clear water, you can quickly assess first their location; then their mood; and finally what bait might trigger them to bite. If nearby perch are at all aggressive, the bright flash should draw them to your hole. They may not bite, but at least we have location solved.

Jigging a spoon tipped with a minnow head or small minnow should soon attract any nearby perch. Understanding their vision, there’s no need to linger on an unproductive spot. Give them two or three minutes, then move on. That’s the first step. Converting hesitant fish to biters may require fine-tuning factors like lure color and size, jigging motion, and size of livebait.

Always have at least two rods for perching through the ice. Spool one with 4- to 6-pound line and add an active attractor, like a a 1/8- to 1/4-ounce spoon tipped with a minnow head or a perch eye. This calls ‘em in.

The second rod should be equipped with a more subtle presentation, like a simple split shot-hook combo for whole minnows, or a tiny 1/80- to 1/32-ounce jig tipped with a couple maggots and presented on 2-pound line. Or combine the two—attraction and subtlety—by removing the hook from the spoon and tying on a short 2- to 3-inch leader holding a tiny 1/80- to 1/64-ounce jig baited with a maggot or a perch eye.

Jump the spoon two feet or so, pause, jiggle, and jump it again to draw fish in. When marks appear on sonar, slow down and let the small jig and bait do the rest. We particularly like the 1/6- to 1/4-ounce Acme Kastmaster spoon for this technique because it falls fast and has a flat side that projects lots of flash, perfect for those far-seeing perch.

If perch can hear your presentation, all the better. Innovative jigs, like the Northland Buck-Shot Rattle Jig, and spoons like the 1/8-ounce Bass’N Bait Rattle Snakie and Lindy-Little Joe Rattl’r include rattle chambers, but sound production requires active shaking.

Most times, though, more subtle motions call perch to the bait, and they bite well on a bobber line. But vigorously shaking the lure may alert nearby fish, who may approach and then bite the quieter presentation. The commotion may draw them in, but once in close, a better trigger might be produced by a second rod in an adjacent hole presenting a smaller, more-subtle bait.

A new product called Crackle may have merit for perch fishing as well. Canadian Des Barnes developed these gel capsules filled with carbon dioxide crystals. Water enters the capsule and reacts with the crystals, producing erratic pops for about 10 minutes. We haven’t yet tested the product on perch, but feel it will have merit, as it has clearly shown with largemouth and smallmouth bass.

The lateral line of perch can provide anglers with interesting advantages. While some species like walleyes may become alarmed at unnatural vibrations caused by motors, ice augers, or anchors banging on the bottom, these disturbances can attract perch. We’ve seen that the act of cutting new holes can chum fish into an area by a combination of hearing and feeling via the lateral line. Thumping a jig forcefully on the bottom can summon perch, too. Some charter captains even drag chains or cement blocks to create a commotion and attract perch.

Dragging or pounding something heavy on bottom stirs up potential food, while the noise, vibration, and visual attraction calls perch and certainly has merit on deeper flats. On shallower flats, drilling a hole in the ice seems to occasionally stimulate perch into biting for short periods.

Finding perch in winter, as mentioned, may take some teamwork. Traditional feeding grounds have been known to run dry. Just ask the folks up at Devil’s Lake, North Dakota. This doesn’t mean the perch are gone altogether. In the case of Devil’s Lake, dramatic rises in water level have altered the status quo. Perch have far more room to roam in winter, and they’re taking advantage of it. Not only are their traditional areas deeper than in years past, but these areas probably produce less food.

The key is mobility. Move, move, move. And work together. On the sprawling 12-foot flats of Leech Lake, we play leapfrog. With as many anglers as possible, we run in a long line with snowmobiles. If the person at the end of the line, having fished a hole for 10 minutes or so, finds nothing, he runs to the head of the line, grabs the auger, runs 25 to 50 yards and drills another hole. By hop-scotching across the lake, we eventually find hordes of perch.

Generally anglers in this “conga line” fish search lures—small Kastmasters adorned with tiny jigs dangling on a short leader below the spoon. Sometimes we replace the jig with a small hook, since perch at times prefer a whole minnow. And once fish are found, the tactics might change to something a little slower, a little more subtle, like a small Lindy-Little Joe Fat Boy tipped with maggots. But only if necessary, because perch tend to be aggressive in winter. When the action slows, drill a few more holes in the area.

Appealing to what we know about the sensory perceptions of perch makes for better winter trips. In clear water, appeal to their long-range vision with flash. In cloudy water and on dark days, focus on their sense of hearing with rattles and other noise attractors. Live minnows also attract perch in cloudier water through vibrations picked up by the lateral line. First and foremost, keep moving. Perch are moving under the ice. Follow suit.