Surprised To Catch This Little Guy

[emjay]

A perch? No wonder those walleyes get so big down there. It was about 9" and looked like its been eating well. Snapped a shot and released it.......so that a walleye can have him for dinner

[Quillback]

Yeah but that perch may have baby walleye for dinner

That's a fish you should whack on the head and feed the turtles with, not that it makes much difference, they're probably here to stay.

[Dutch]

They have been around there for a long time. There aren't very many of them. Some above Beaver and some around the mouth of Cedar.

[Hunter91]

Caught some down there a couple weekends ago. They are pretty good eating. My partner had the state record out of Bull Shoals until last year. It was a whopping 1.14lbs. Still it was the state record for about four years.

[Sam]

Yellow perch. I've known guys from up around Wisconsin who talk about their winter ice fishing for "perch", and I couldn't understand it because what we call "perch" (bluegill, green sunfish, and such) hardly bite when the water's cold. Turns out, it's yellow perch they're fishing for.

I've caught occasional small ones for years out of upper Bull Shoals. This spring I caught my biggest one ever (still only about 11") and I kept it because I wanted to see if they're as good eating as I'd heard. The filets were real good, a lot like walleye.

I hope the yellow perch in Bull Shoals will take off and get bigger and more common, I think they're a good fish.

[emjay]

right when i let it go my buddy said "why did you let it go, perch is good eating"

[Greg]

I've caught them in Canada. I had no idea there were any in MO. They are very good eating. As good as Walleye in my opinion.

Greg

[Ham]

I'll be keeping any that I catch that are large enough to eat. I wish I knew how to catch more of them and the larger ones.

[Mike Worley]

We have been catching Yellow Perch on the lower end of Bull Shoals for 8-10 years also. Last year it seemed every brush pile was loaded with them in early spring before the water level came up after the spring rains. Still were catching them this year, fewer numbers but larger perch. I believe someone recently caught a new Arkansas state record that was weighed in at Bull Shoals Lake boat dock. I have caught Yellow Perch as far south as Howard creek,. Last year Music, Big, Spring & Coon creeks all held Yellow perch in large numbers that we caught on the brush piles with jig & minnows and jigging spoons while crappie fishing in the spring and again in the fall.

[kwall]

You guys are right they are good to eat,had no idea they were hear would like to find some , Pike in here too?