LAKE MARTHA FIELD GUIDE · RESIDENT SCHOOLING FISH
Yellow perch.
Perca flavescens
KNOW YOUR CATCH
How to find and
recognize this fish.
Golden-yellow sides crossed by six to eight dark vertical bars, with orange-tinged lower fins and a spiny first dorsal fin.
Drop a 1/16-ounce pearl jig, small worm, or tiny spinner near the dock and work it just above bottom with gentle lifts.
01 Where it lives +
Schools gather near vegetation, dock edges, and bottom transitions; they often move deeper as the water cools.
02 When to fish +
Catchable year-round, with the strongest shore and boat fishing typically arriving after the spring spawn and through summer.
03 What it eats +
Yellow perch eat aquatic invertebrates and small fish, shifting toward larger prey as they grow.
04 How it behaves +
A social species that commonly travels in schools. Finding one fish often means several more are close by.
05 Handle with care +
Fold the spiny dorsal fin flat from front to back before gripping gently, and avoid squeezing the body.
KEEP READING
The official
field notes.
Species details are grounded in U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service information. Lake presence and seasonal prospects come from Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife species profile ↗WDFW Lake Martha report ↗MORE IN THE LAKE
