Missing in action

[packrat]

-----presumed to be having fun.

Been on the hunt for a good day of perchin since the middle of May. My "usual" location (Port Dover) just hasnt been treating me right. Matter of fact its been down right stingy.

Thanks to the power of the 'net heard of a spot down the road a ways where you could fish from shore and get some. I'll admit its quite the drive 1 1/2 hour each way but I have the advantage of being just a little crazy( was starting to mumble----GOT TO HAVE PERCH)

SO I WENT---three times so far to be exact. Just to scout the area out--see what works what doesnt. Its a small area and quite popular so if you want in the action dont show up in the afternoon, dont wander in mid morning cuz you'll likely be SOL. The ticket to get on the "best" spots are to get there EARLY like the locals do. We're talking 5:30 in the morning boys and girls. Now do the math and figure out what time I would have to leave to get there.

First the location: Port Bruce

Now you've seen it, now the rest of the story.

Friday last I show up at 5:30 on the dot armed with some choice minnows and find an open spot toward the end of the pier. By 6 had three/four in the bucket and people around me are starting to get some real nice jumbos. Encouraged I carry on.

Turned out to be the absolute best day of perchin I've ever had---made my best day at Dover look pale be comparison. Left at 11:30 with 41 in the bucket and only 1/2 dozen minnows left.

Now the pr0n:

I know what you're thinking----that doesnt look like 41 perch and you're right. They were the creme de la creme of the crop.

So like my signature says "missing in action---presumed to be having a good time"

You presume right----had a ball.

[DarkEdge]

Beautiful fish. Makes me wish I had the gas to drive and get some. Thanks for the update, maybe one day I can get some myself.

[Dan Andrews]

Brings back memories of when I was a kid wayyyyyyyy before the internet. I remember going for walks with Dad down Port Dalhousie pier and it was lined up with locals with white buckets full of perch. I remember Dad being frustrated once because everyone had pails full of perch but we only came for a walk and had no rods in hand.

It's amazing how they lose their colour after awhile in the pail but when you open them up the flesh is still so tasty looking

[ron4blues]

I can recall years ago in Nova Scotia how my father and his friends considered yellow perch to be a nuisance fish. Invariably they wanted trout or salmon, so any time a perch stuck they would voice their contempt.

Then I moved to Ontario and discovered that perch were a very popular fish here. I was mystified until I actually tried some. Now I see them in a totally different light.

[packrat]

Brings back memories of when I was a kid wayyyyyyyy before the internet. I remember going for walks with Dad down Port Dalhousie pier and it was lined up with locals with white buckets full of perch. I remember Dad being frustrated once because everyone had pails full of perch but we only came for a walk and had no rods in hand.

It's amazing how they lose their colour after awhile in the pail but when you open them up the flesh is still so tasty looking

Yeah. I found them to come fresh put of the water looking kinda pale so I would assume because they were got in really stained water their normal colours were muted to blend in.

[knightfisher]

Guess when the bite is on the word travels fast.

Nice haul Gord. Some good eats for sure.

[packrat]

Guess when the bite is on the word travels fast.

Nice haul Gord. Some good eats for sure.

You got tthat right Dan----when I left at noon with my catch there wasnt a spot open from one end to the other. People were lined up all the way into the boat channel-----and even they were on them. The size of that school must have been enormous.

[bigugli]

You deserve a good feed Gord. Glad to see you got into a nice school.

[joe]

BASStard

[coreyhkh]

Just wondering 41 fish sounds like alot to me, is there enough fish to keep the population up. Our lakes are already in terrible shape.

[bigugli]

Just wondering 41 fish sounds like alot to me, is there enough fish to keep the population up. Our lakes are already in terrible shape.

If there was a problem with the populations, the MNR would have reduced the catch limits as they have with other species. The daily limit is 50.

[smerchly]

If there was a problem with the populations, the MNR would have reduced the catch limits as they have with other species. The daily limit is 50.

The commercial harvesters measure their perch count by the tonnage ....no comparison to what the comon angler takes for a meal . I wonder what happens to all the fish they sell in supermarkets etc that doesn't sell in a few days or so .....Do they trash the fish or use the meat for cat food etc ?

Nice going Gord we had perch for dinner today ....been in the freezer for 5 months & still a tastey treat ! I noticed the water was brown , and the fish do their best to adapt to the environment to help save their hides from predators .......but they still have to eat !

[Hacknslash]

Just wondering 41 fish sounds like alot to me, is there enough fish to keep the population up. Our lakes are already in terrible shape.

Take a look at this...then wonder if 41 perch are too many for one angler.

The Great Lakes Fisheries Commission's Lake Erie Committee announced today the 2010 TACs (Total Allowable Catch) for Lake Erie.

The walleye TAC is 2.20 million fish, a 10 percent reduction from 2009's TAC of 2.45 million fish. Based upon water surface area in lake management units, Ohio's share will be 1.124 million walleye. Ontario's quota will be 0.947 million walleye and 128,000 for Michigan.

The reduction in total allowable catch for walleye reflects seven years of mortality reducing the massive 2003 year class and the poor to fair year classes that have followed 2003, which have not substantially replenished the population.

The 2010 yellow perch TAC is 13.137 million pounds, an 9 percent increase over the 2009 TAC, reflecting good hatching success and recruitment by yellow perch over the last few years. These have been divided among management units (MU) as follows:

MU 1 - 2.094 million lb

MU 2 - 4.000 million lb

MU 3 - 6.251 million lb

MU 4 - 0.792 million lb

Further apportionment of these TACs among sport and commercial interests in Ohio will be announced later. The figure below illustrates the yellow perch management units and how individual TACS are shared among jurisdictions.

This is better news than expected. Using this data and the new bag limit charts developed by the Division of Wildlife, it appears that Ohio's walleye bag limit will stay at 6 per day during May-Feb and 4 per day during Mar-Apr. The increased perch TAC should give the Western Basin a 30-fish bag limit again. ODW said last year that perch numbers could have justified a 30-fish WB limit, but regulations were set prior to getting the 2009 TAC figures. The new system, setting bag limits after TACs are announced, looks like a good program.

Fred Snyder, Ohio Sea Grant Extension

[little cleo]

I wonder what happens to all the fish they sell in supermarkets etc that doesn't sell in a few days or so .....Do they trash the fish or use the meat for cat food etc ?

I know very little about commercial fish harvesting and sales but I am guessing that..

The percentage of l.erie perch that gets sold fresh is minimal compared to the amount that gets sold frozen.

Therefore, I'm going to say the fresh fish that they don't sell before the expiry date... gets trashed.

[Bassmaster]

Just wondering 41 fish sounds like alot to me, is there enough fish to keep the population up. Our lakes are already in terrible shape.

I gotta pipe up here.. Packrat doesn't own a boat.. hasn't for some time now. I can assure you that Packrat doesn't keep every single fish that he catches. Packrat is now happily retired and if he happens to stumble upon a motherlode of jumbo perch everyonce in awhile well good for him.

As others have said the commercial guys take far more than your average angler will ever do in a lifetime...