Spring yellow perch fishing on Lake Erie is in full swing! According to the NYS DEC, almost 80% of Lake Erie anglers were after yellow perch this April! Anglers were rewarded with an average harvest of 33 perch per boat and a catch rate of 2.6 perch per hour, which are both well above average (14.1 per boat; 1.5 per hour). Just over 7% of April yellow perch anglers achieved a 50-fish limit with an average length of 11.6 inches. Good perch fishing should continue through May.
Anglers out targeting pre-spawn smallmouth bass also found success, catching bass at a rate of 1.65 fish per hour, which is well above the survey average of 1.05 per hour. The walleye season opened on May 1 and the fishing should continue to heat up as the month progresses!
