Perch

Hello, here is a question for the experts. I have a barge on Lake Belton. We have always caught a lot of "perch", especially for bait on jugs and we catch them on worms and small hooks. We call all varieties "perch", but I am learning the difference because I am becoming intrigued by these fish. We fish for and catch a lot of crappie. So, this year while crappie fishing I have been catching ALOT of perch on minnows and crappie hooks. I mean like if we catch 10 crappie we will catch 3 huge perch. I have been fishing Belton all my life and haven't caught but maybe 10 perch on minnows if even that many. This year I bet I have caught literally hundreds, so many that I now have a new motto, "If they are big enough to eat a minnow they are big enough for me to eat". I have always known they were good to eat but now may prefer them to crappie. Anyway what has changed? Why so many perch eating minnows? Thanks in advance for replies.

Sunfish will take a minnow any day ! If the minnow is alive on the hook and swimming fast a big sunfish may just wait for something he can get with less effort like a big night crawler! I have fished for sunfish for years and catch most of em on live worms! Nothing beats a nice batch of Bluegill and Crappie!

I use artificial baits while fishing for sunfish. I have had great results using the Gulp Alive Minnows and small silver sliders! Bluegill love em.

Adult bluegill along with most adult sunfish are minnow eaters primarily.

Large bluegill love small minnows. The small native minnows are deadly to bluegills. Most of the minnows sold in bait stores are too large.

What part of Belton lake are you catching those big perch from and how deep ? My daughter loves catching perch we normally fish Frank's but it's a little slow this time of year thanks

Perch

Here's my two cents. I have perch jerked most of my 70 years, hence Worlds Greatest Perch Jerker AKA WGPJ. ( Self proclaimed of course. Tut Tut. ) And your observation mirrors mine. Up until this past year, I rarely caught perch using minnows having crappie fished for years Dunlap, McQueeny, Placid, Meadow Lake. A year ago I moved to Canyon Lake and suddenly frequently caught perch on minnows while trying to get Crappie. In fact, they have become quite the nuisance when I fish the TP&W fish attractor brushpiles in the lake. I just figured it was unique to Canyon Lake. But who knows. If indeed as you surmised they are behaving differently, I can offer no explanation.

SunFish are not Perch.People just call them perch because they don`t know the name of the particular Sunfish they catch.There are many type of Sunfish in the Great State of Texas but Perch is not one of them.I`m sorry all you perch jerkers but the truth is the truth.

Right on the Fishbonz.Green Sunfish,Bluegill,Redbreast,Longear,Warmouth,and Redear. As recognized by Parks&Wilde.


Side Note. Perch is just used by a lot of anglers as a general saying.

B'sides it's not politically correct to call um perch!

North Point Yacht Club, formerly known as Cedar Ridge Marina I believe?

The political correctness is why I said I am learning the correct name. Figured something would come from a bluegill forum about the names. It would be really cool if someone would post names and pictures of that family of fish.

As far as the eating minnows goes I know for sure that with my method of crappie fishing we are catching ALOT of BIG sunfish. And I am here to tell you the minnows we buy at the nearest store to us, we can fillet them if we don't use them all. They are HUGE minnows. Most of those sunfish will just peck on them till they accidently get the hook!!

Speaking of minnows, $3.99 dozen? Most places around here are one size only, big!! And they count them literally!! Where around Belton Lake can I get a decent deal on med/small minnows?

This is a GREAT post AQUA11! I am one that is not political correct and will never be! Friends who I have fished with all my life even me call sunfish fishing "Perch Jerking"! Love that name!

Here are the names of the basic types of sunfish as identified by the Texas Parks&Wildlife Dept. They have pictures of all six on their web site including the scientific names. They also describe each fish and include the types of habitat they are most commonly found in. Green Sunfish,Redbreast Sunfish,Longear Sunfish,Redear Sunfish,Warmouth Sunfish, and the most common of them all the Bluegill Sunfish.

I'm learning the correct names as well. I called it perch jerkin all my life until I saw a real perch.

I'm enjoying the process of identifying my new catches.

Recently I've caught green sunfish, and I think a warmouth.

Nice fish. Lee Finley. I also call it "Perch Jerking" and I to have learned a ton following these anglers on the Bluegill forum. I don't target the sunfish but I really enjoy reading the post!



Side Note: Your fish looks like a Warmouth to me. I am sure someone who knows for sure will I.D. your fish.

Nice Warmouth!