ODNR Division of Wildlife - Fishing - Go Fish Yellow Perch
Yellow perch 
General Information:   If you want to catch some yellow perch, you don’t have to drive to Lake Erie to fill a cooler. Upground reservoirs, a type of artificial inland lake, offer excellent yellow perch fishing if you know where to go and how to catch them. Yellow perch can be caught in upground reservoirs using techniques similar to those proven effective in Lake Erie. Upground reservoirs with the best yellow perch fishing are primarily located in Northwestern Ohio. 
 
State Record:              2.75 pounds, 14 1/2 inches, Lake Erie
                                     Charles Thomas, Lorain, Ohio
                                     April 17, 1984
 
Fish Ohio Length:         13 inches
 
Tips: 
  • The key to catching yellow perch is similar to being successful with real estate sales—location, location, location. You must find where the fish are holding and feeding at each time of the year to be successful. 
  • Some anglers use fish finders (sonar) to locate yellow perch.  However, they can be difficult to see on a fish finder when they are lying on or close to the bottom.  A popular technique to locating them is drifting or slow trolling until you catch one, then anchor immediately and fish straight down. 
  • Yellow perch also like to associate close to structure. Most upground reservoirs do not have much vegetation, but if you find some rooted vegetation, try fishing along the edge of the vegetation. If you find submerged trees near shore, they may be worth trying as well. 
  • Choosing a rod that can provide good feel is important!  Yellow perch bites can be expected to be light, so tackle should be light.  
  • Remember, if you are not catching these fish, be flexible and try changing locations, using other baits, or choosing a different time of day to fish. You may find that yellow perch have developed a pattern of feeding at a particular time in a particular reservoir. 
Tackle:  Use a light spinning rod and reel with 6-8 pound test during most of the year and ice fishing rods and gear during winter.
 
Regulations: Daily limit of 40 fish in inland waters.
 
Where to go:  See fishing forecast for northwest Ohio for current information on the best yellow perch reservoirs. Some annual favorites include Findlay Reservoir No. 1 (Hancock Co.), Metzger and Ferguson Reservoirs (Allen Co.), Wauseon Reservoir No. 2 (Fulton Co.), Shelby Reservoir No. 3 (Richland Co.), Upper Sandusky Reservoir No. 2 (Wyandot Co.), and Willard Reservoir (Huron Co.)
 
Seasonal Fishing Approaches:

Season
(Months)
Spring
(March - April)
Pre-summer
(May)
Summer
(June - mid-September)
Fall
(mid-September - November)
Winter
(December - February)
Peak Activity
 Excellent Good Fair Excellent Excellent
Presentation
Slip bobber or tight line from shore.
 
Fish with small minnows and crappie rig near the bottom. 
Yellow perch move in shore to spawn in mid-April and they can be caught from shore.
Slow drift or slow troll in a boat. After you catch one, anchor at that location. Fish straight down just off the bottom using
small minnows fished with a spreader or crappie rig.
Most reservoirs are stratified with no oxygen in deep water at this time of the year. You must locate the fish suspended higher in deep water areas or in shallower areas near bottom. 
Try using small minnows fished with a spreader or crappie rig.
Slow drift or slow troll from boat. After you catch one anchor at that location. Fish straight down just off the bottom using
small minnows fished with a spreader or crappie rig.
 Jigging with small jigs tipped with minnows or wax worms.
Location
 In mid-April fish near shore just off the bottom. Fish near the bottom. Fish mid water depths above the thermocline. Fish near the bottom.
Deep water near the bottom.