Crappie/Yellow Perch/Dayton-3-5-07

[drumking]

I made it up to Dayton today to fish for Crappie. Started around 11:00 and finished around 3:15. Total catch today. 7 keepers, 3 throwbacks, 5 bluegills, 2 yellow bass, and 1 yellow perch. I only had two bites before 2:00 pm and that was 2 keeper crappie. Then someone turned the dinner bell on. In the last hour and 15 minutes that I fished, I caught all the rest of the fish. Everything was caught on panfish assassin today. Couldn't buy a strike while floater fishing. I tight lined everything today.

I caught the biggest yellow perch of my life. It is the biggest one that I have ever seen. It was 10.5 inches long and full of eggs. I probably got it off a bed. From the looks of the crappie up there, they are way behind the crappie down here in the lower end. I had 3 females, 4 males and they were skinny. The females had only begun to build their eggs. Nothing exceeded 11 inches long. Most were in the 10.5 range. I normally don't keep crappie that small, but bites were few and far between today as the fish were reacting to the cold front, I'm sure. I saw Troit and he only caught 7 keepers today too. So, I don't feel too bad. He is local up there and knows all the holes.

Polo and I are going tomorrow down here and see if we can find some active fish. Hopefully, it will be a better day. emoGeezer

 

[DHaun]

Thanks for the report King! That is a beautiful perch and the water looks unaffected by the wind. Did the bite coincide with a major/minor lunar time? I might be able to go myself tomorrow around 2-3pm so its good to hear they still bite around that time.

 

[Guest]

Please tell me that the yellow perch met, or will meet, Mr. Crisco? I wouldn't mind getting into a mess of them, and a mess of crappies. I am thinking that the next trip to Rocky Mountain will involve minnows and jigs.

Good day today, King. It's always nice to have fish pull on the end of your line for ya.

 

[drumking]

DHaun - 3/5/2007 8:18 PM

Thanks for the report King! That is a beautiful perch and the water looks unaffected by the wind. Did the bite coincide with a major/minor lunar time? I might be able to go myself tomorrow around 2-3pm so its good to hear they still bite around that time.

David, my watch said the movement today would start at 14:00 (2:00 pm) and that is exactly when the fish turned on. I'm a believer! I threw enough from 11:00 til 2:00 to catch a boat load, but they weren't biting then.

 

[drumking]

nwgabassmaster - 3/5/2007 8:18 PM

Please tell me that the yellow perch met, or will meet, Mr. Crisco? I wouldn't mind getting into a mess of them, and a mess of crappies. I am thinking that the next trip to Rocky Mountain will involve minnows and jigs.

Good day today, King. It's always nice to have fish pull on the end of your line for ya.

That yellow perch is going to meet Mr. Peanut Oily and his wife, Mrs Zatarans.

 

[Biofisher I]

DK, what would you have to do to catch a limit of those yellow perch? I've heard that they are better eating than crappie. What type of areas would you look for to target them. Do we have a large enough population in the lake to even try and pattern them?

 

[polo-dog]

DK, I'm looking forward to tomorrow. Let's go for a boatload. I have only caught a couple of perch in my years on the lake. One I can remember on the main lake and one back in WT. It's just not very common in these warmer water lakes. I have heard that they are good to eat but haven't tasted one.

 

[drumking]

Biofisher I - 3/5/2007 8:36 PM

DK, what would you have to do to catch a limit of those yellow perch? I've heard that they are better eating than crappie. What type of areas would you look for to target them. Do we have a large enough population in the lake to even try and pattern them?

I wish that I knew how to catch a limit of these yellow perch. I have caught several in the past few years, but nothing the size of the one that I caught today. This fish came from about 6 feet of water and it was on a fine gravel bank. I suppose that this fish was getting ready to spawn.

 

[Liveliner]

In my experiance If you catch one you can catch many in the same area. I have found them in deep brush in warmer waters. Under the crappie.

 

[Fishin Fool]

DK that is a beautiful perch. Man those things are good to eat too! Wish we had a few more of them in the lake

 

[TennesseeTalker]

Pretty fish! I've never eaten a yellow perch either. Hard to imagine they could taste better than crappie!!! But I hope to catch one someday and find out. Hope you and Polo get on them today. Cuz that means we may have a chance to do the same tomorrow!

Good job DK!

TT

 

[Lone Oak]

Went yesterday, caught 4 crappie, two were keepers, but let them go back, not enough to clean for a meal.

In the past, I have caught several yellow perch and yes they are very good eating. I always caught them on minnows tho, also on a gravel bottom. Ususally where you catch one, you catch more.
There use to be quite a few of them up river but below the Sequoyah towers but on the brichwood side. It was up in a slew I use to fish. You have to have 4 wheel drive to get to it now, not been there in yrs.

The one you caught is a really nice one.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the report. That is one nice yellow perch. The wind wasn't too bad up there was it?emoThumbsup

 

[fischnrod]

Thats a fine yellow perch, i remember when there were quite a few of those around and good sized ones too. unless i'm mistaken they stocked some of those in Chickamauga in the early 1970s and they were plentiful then. Those are some great tasting fish.

 

[slo-ride]

that's a NICE yellow perch, DK....beautiful fish!! emoThumbsup