When Will The White Perch Show Up?

[Lavman]

Has the spiny water flea made it north to Missisquoi or St Albans? The spiny water flea will have an impact on yellow and white perch (and other species) since they feed on zooplankton and their barbs can actually kill fish fry when they are consumed.

[Lord_of_the_Perch]

Not sure... better ask jbritch.

[JMailbox8]

Looks like he is. I would too, he seems like a trustworthy source.

[Lord_of_the_Perch]

I guess...
Cutting and pasting exerpts from articles is as trustworthy as you can get. It saves me precious time looking for little factiods. I just get a little bent out of shape when anyone makes false/ridiculous statements like scale color and water clarity when the thread is about the white perch school in St Albans Bay.
Stuff like that could confuse people into thinking he knows what he is talking about.

[HardWater518]

Have the white perch moved into St. Albans bay? Plan on making a trip over tomorrow from New York. Never fished em, but would like to give them a try!!

[Vtbassman]

Have the white perch moved into St. Albans bay? Plan on making a trip over tomorrow from New York. Never fished em, but would like to give them a try!!

Yes.  Lots of fun.  Buy your VT license at The Bay Store and have a blast.

[Vtbassman]

Buy your VT license at The Bay Store and head out to the green can from the boat access.  The snow is fairly deep but there are plenty of tracks to get you there.  The action is fast and furious when they are there.  Today it was great till about noon and then it was the dead sea.  The more people out there, the better.  It was hard to keep them biting today.  Worth the trip.

[BassInVt]

well that would explain why they are in the Lamoille river also.  that river is as brown as it could get. You can catch them in there all summer. They really pick up right about walleye season.

[HardWater518]

Thanks VTBASSMAN, I just sent you a PM.

[troutcrazy]

I went out there today, too.  There was a crowd fishing a ways off the end of Hathaway Point-- same as last year.  The bite had quit by the time I showed up, but the people I talked to had done well that morning.

I tried a couple other spots on the way home, and it seemed to be dead everywhere.  Nice to be out in the sunshine, though!

[Troutmagnet]

Sounds like with this recent flurry of posts on this thread that maybe things are picking up in St. Albans Bay. Wish this weekends weather wasn't so cold.

[Smelty88]

just posted in the st albans thread didnt see somone had noticed the large crowed out there yesterday too!

[flagfishon]

Are people driving trucks out?  How much ice?

[jbritch]

Evolution is a funny thing; Darwin did his best but still could not explain why some individuals totally lacking in necessary socialization skills (even vicious T-Rex cared for their young and exhibited intra-species cooperation) and conceptual representational universality (the ability to “see” things only described by another, not requiring the actual firsthand experience) still survive.

What Darwin did show was that a species’ environment has an effect on their morphology, their body shapes and coloration.  So a fish, for example, that tends to get the biggest share of its diet from other fish’s eggs would naturally prefer to spend most of its time near those places where fish lay their eggs.  Notice that this preference does not negate the possibility that those egg-suckers don’t navigate elsewhere at all, even to “gin-clear” waters.  But when fishermen wonder where to target a certain species, the first place to look is NOT those elsewhere places, but in areas with the highest probability to find them.  Since the white perch’s diet is largely (notice again, not entirely) walleye eggs, the logical place to find them is where walleye lay their eggs, up rivers, including the Missisquoi River which empties into Missiquoi Bay where they are pariahs.

We know fish vision shows adaptation to their visual environment.  The eye shape of the white perch is also a reflection of its primary habitat; it’s of a size sufficient to allow for the successful pursuit of forage in shallow murky water and the detection of predators.  In addition, the color of the white fish is a manifestation of its millions of years of adaptation.  It might seem white was a bad choice versus some camouflage like the yellow perch’s green striping, so the white perch lives in large close-knit schools; more eyes are more likely to detect the predators and the sheer mass and chaos can confuse predators.  As an aside, we now know that in those large schools, the dominate individuals sonically control the school from its center; the fish on the fringes are expendable scouts.

In like fashion, the basic shape of the white perch also reflects its primary habitat.  Its ovate profile (as versus the yellow perch’s torpedo shape) and compressed narrow width are keenly adapted to fast (relatively) moving river current; it allows for rapid acceleration and direction change necessary to elude predators within the confinement of river banks and structure.  So it wouldn’t be uncommon for a fisherman to report finding white perch “5 miles up the Missiquoi River”.

I find reading the posts on this site interesting and an opportunity for camaraderie (and thanks to all those who responded with support for the turbid water theory), but, too, “I just get a little bent out of shape when anyone makes false/ridiculous statements…”  Calling another sportsman’s sharing his experience and observations “total BS” is not camaraderie.  Instead, thinking of how a fishmonger makes his living, i.e. moving other fishermen’s labors, he might share his insight as to where to find white perch.  One might share, as I did, to help others find the white perch and cull them out of our lake.  I still think the state should put a bounty on them by subsidizing the price paid for them to make them a more attractive species to target.

And to that end, I still stand by my advice to TroutMagnet, look for white perch near the mouths of rivers and especially so when the waters become more turbid than usual.  Missisquoi Bay is both of those.





Oh, yeah, I personally caught this batch at Hog Island, kept the yellows, sold the whites, go figure.

[VTMatt]

I will agree with the water clarity statement. I have caught them in turbid water more times than clear.  I do know that they actively follow alewives and when a die off happens they will be anywhere the alewives are.

[ice fiend]

Called bayside they are in ! However i havnt got on em yet as i was catching seeds yesterday got 29 pounds but they got over 1000 pounds of whites in st albans its on now

[felix]

Jbritch,   great post, thanks.  While reading your post an idea came to me and I thought I might be worth sharing here.

Seeing as white perch are invasive and can directly effect the the population of indigenous species there seems to be an interest in finding ways to help controll the size of the effect that they have. Encouraging people to catch and keep them through a bounty or subsidizing the price they fetch is a good idea, however that would require a monetary expenditure at a time where there is great pressure to cut expenditures therefore making it less likely to happen.

My idea would be to have a one day white perch only event organized by the Department of fish and game that would invite both fisherman and fish mongers. The anglers would not be rewarded with prize money, but instead would be guaranteed the opportunity to sell their catch at a fair market price to those who wish to buy. The Dept. would be the event organizer. It would give them an opportunity to educate people on the problems caused by invasive species as well as providing people with an opportunity to help do something about it.  The purpose of the event would be to cull as many white perch from the lake as possible. The more taken out of the lake the more everybody wins. There would be no direct competition among anglers, instead it would be a community effort. The Dept. could recruit volunteers to "pre-fish" in the days proceeding the event so that information on where the fish are biting could be passed along to the anglers instead of held secret. Game wardens and volunteers could be available to interact with and assist the public with advise on how and where to fish for white perch, especially those new to ice fishing.
At the end of the day anglers would gather in a central location where the fish catch could be weighed, door prizes and raffles etc... would be held. People could sell their fish directly to the mongers or keep them. The mongers would benefit from establishing new contacts, the fisherman would be rewarded with cash, the Dept. would have a great opportunity for improved public relations and education and the lake would benefit as a result. Perhaps people would be inclined to donate their catch to help fund next years event or some other related programs as well.  A tally of the total amount of fish caught could be kept, over the long term this could help in monitoring the white perch population.  Many people are concerned with the impact that fishing derbies have on fish populations. A derby who's intent is to help reduce the numbers of an invasive fish in order to help increase the numbers of native fish seems like an idea just about anybody could support. 

Had to get that out of my head and into the real world. Thanks for reading it. 

[jbritch]

Ice Fiend is right.  I stopped in at Ray's Seafood on North Street in Burlington and asked what was biting.  The big guy there said that the white perch were just starting to come in and that the ones he had came from the waters near Burlington.  But what amazed me was the tubs of bullpout, tons of them.  He said they came from Highgate Springs, that Gilbert Gagner from Martin's store had brought them down to them.  He said that he had a very vigorous market for bullpout; the Vietnamese and other ethnics ask for them but they have to be still alive.  Ray's is paying $.35 per pound for white perch, while the Hog Island Market is paying $.30 for the same size last I looked.

And to felix: great idea, looks like you put a lot of thought into it.  I'm sure the F&W biologists will read your post and talk about it in their meetings.

And to VTMatt: thanks for the kind words.  Our observations of our experiences are valuable and shouldn't be the topic for disdain.

[Smelty88]

Are people driving trucks out?  How much ice?

Oh yeah! all over the bay!

[HardWater518]

I just want to say thanks to everyone that pointed me in the right direction. I had a great morning out in St. Albans bay catching some white perch. Was my first time to ever catch them, and was quite surprised with the size of them and how they bite. Huge fish, with just a slight nibble, but it was awesome. We got there around 7am, didn't get any fish til around 8:30, and they quit around 11. Not sure what their normal routine is, but it looked like everyone was not catching anything. Ended up leaving at noon with a five gallon pail full and was quite happy.

I decided to keep my catch and fillet them. Was wondering what peoples thoughts are on eating them. Are they good tasting? Should i prepare them the same as a yellow perch? And should i cook them with skin on or off?

Once again thanks to everyone that helped me out. It was a blast!!

[bootstrap]

i will bring my food wagon to the white perch-a-thon and have fish slaw and fries for sale.

[Troutmagnet]

Thanks jbritch - very informative. Thanks ice fiend - the white perch bite is happening. Maybe late next week I can get away for a shot at some of the white perch in St. Albans Bay.

[PerchSlayer67]

Are the whites in relatively the same area as last year? I'm not trying to go out and make money like most, I just want a few meals worth.

[VTMatt]

I just want to say thanks to everyone that pointed me in the right direction. I had a great morning out in St. Albans bay catching some white perch. Was my first time to ever catch them, and was quite surprised with the size of them and how they bite. Huge fish, with just a slight nibble, but it was awesome. We got there around 7am, didn't get any fish til around 8:30, and they quit around 11. Not sure what their normal routine is, but it looked like everyone was not catching anything. Ended up leaving at noon with a five gallon pail full and was quite happy.

I decided to keep my catch and fillet them. Was wondering what peoples thoughts are on eating them. Are they good tasting? Should i prepare them the same as a yellow perch? And should i cook them with skin on or off?

Once again thanks to everyone that helped me out. It was a blast!!

I would fillet them and eat them like yellows. I'm sure you've noticed the later of dsrk meet between the skin and meat - I've always cut that off. Probably doesn't taste that great, but I doubt it makes a huge difference. The meat is white like yellows, and in my opinion very tasty and not fishy at all. The meat is less flaky than yellows.

As for the light bite, I've noticed the same thing this year. They seem to be nibbling on maggots below a spoon or Hali more than anything. I had to bring an UL rod last time. As for them turning off - I've seen the same thing. I've gone home when there were still 15-20' of pure red on my Marcum, but they just wouldn't hit. The ones that did were so light id miss half of them. Awkward bite this year for sure. Last year I had a silver bibet with nothing on it and they were hammering the snot out of it relentlessly!  They did like it tipped but the big schools didn't care.  I look forward to heading back out to the Bay for the harvest.

[troutcrazy]

Are they good tasting? Should i prepare them the same as a yellow perch? And should i cook them with skin on or off?

I think they're delicious! 
The only way I've figured out to prepare them is to fillet them.  The red muscle (brown stuff) is the strong-tasting part.  When you cut the fillets off the skin, ease off on the knife a little to leave most of the red muscle on the skin.  I usually take a few minutes to cut most of the red muscle off of the fillets too.

The white meat is absolutely delicious and firm.

[Vtbassman]

Are the whites in relatively the same area as last year? I'm not trying to go out and make money like most, I just want a few meals worth.

Yes.  Get your coffee at The Bay Store and have fun!

[BassInVt]

Ok guys, enough talk we need some pic's. I'm out sick and bored, and tired of reading, I WANT SOME Pic's please

[PerchSlayer67]

Yes.  Get your coffee at The Bay Store and have fun!

Alright awesome!!will do! And I agree with the guy below would love to see some pics!

[wmhunts]

These pics are from icecation 2015 feb 1-5. they are not st albans whites but they are whites from the big lake. Ive been pounding them, with some much appreciated help from fellow shanty members!
This shack has seen 14 5gal. pales full of whites so far this season and Im just getting started. its gonna be a massacre!

[wmhunts]

Oh baby cant wait! headin to st albans in the am to put the hammer down