# Lake Erie Perch



## Gotsum (Jun 7, 2016)

Anybody doing any good around the islands with the perch?


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## Warpig (Jul 18, 2012)

It's been very inconsistent. I haven't found many fish around the islands themselves. Been fishing out near D can. I've gotten anything from a limit to 2 depending on the day. I've tried around Green recently with little success.


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## undertaker (Jan 20, 2013)

Hit or miss. Whole shiners or pieces. Goldies whole or cut up. On the bottom couple cranks up. Bling or no bling ,spreader or crappie rig. Plain hook or a perch assassin. In the pack away from the pack. U just to put in the time.


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## zero410 (Feb 26, 2010)

just wondering whats a perch assassin?


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## PatSea (Oct 10, 2004)

3 of us fished 3 hours this morning around the islands. NADA. We had what looked like perch marks on the fishfinder, but could not get them going. Did not see any jerking going on other boats.


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## snapper (Aug 18, 2011)

zero410 said:


> just wondering whats a perch assassin?


It’s a perch rig that somebody in the western basin created, and they sell at the bait shops over there. I’ve seen it on a Facebook page, and it seems pretty popular amongst the members.


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## Oh-ducky (Jan 17, 2007)

Went out on a head boat yesterday from port Clinton. I caught 7 which was the most of the 20 people on the boat. Don’t know the total. Most of the fish were on the small size. I would say 6 - 7 inches.


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## fishermanbob (Dec 14, 2011)

Gotsum said:


> Anybody doing any good around the islands with the perch?


went out around tslands 9/11 got 2 perch. Saw maybe 30 boats 1 perch.


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## set-the-drag (Jan 13, 2013)

The new blue pike


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## justbobber (Oct 13, 2008)

3 of us got 50 at G can today and about a dozen dink throwbacks


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## bowhunter1487 (Aug 13, 2014)

set-the-drag said:


> The new blue pike


Except they actually existed in the first place


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## set-the-drag (Jan 13, 2013)

Right im sayingblue pike were plentiful until they were commercially fished to extinction. Seems like history is repeating with perch


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## bowhunter1487 (Aug 13, 2014)

set-the-drag said:


> Right im sayingblue pike were plentiful until they were commercially fished to extinction. Seems like history is repeating with perch


Except there are still a few walleye in the lake and once in awhile someone catches a clue color phase. Genetic testing proved the blue pike was just a walleye color phase that dominated the lake for some reason.


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## miked913 (Feb 29, 2008)

bowhunter1487 said:


> Except there are still a few walleye in the lake and once in awhile someone catches a clue color phase. Genetic testing proved the blue pike was just a walleye color phase that dominated the lake for some reason.


Let's see those test results....

reelylivinsportfishing.com


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## cast party (Jul 9, 2011)

miked913 said:


> Let's see those test results....
> 
> reelylivinsportfishing.com


Bowhunter is correct. Blue pike were just different colored walleye and for some reason that coloring went away. Someone somewhere had a frozen blue pike (maybe 10 years ago? less?). When they tested the genetic makeup it was identical to walleye.


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## miked913 (Feb 29, 2008)

cast party said:


> Bowhunter is correct. Blue pike were just different colored walleye and for some reason that coloring went away. Someone somewhere had a frozen blue pike (maybe 10 years ago? less?). When they tested the genetic makeup it was identical to walleye.


Was just interested in seeing it, when my grandparents immigrated to Fairport Harbor from well.. West Virginia in the 50s my grandfather would catch buckets of them from the breakwalls at night, he said the were walleye like but had very big eyes, blue and silver colored with spots or splotches like a sauger, a really big one was maybe 2lbs.

reelylivinsportfishing.com


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## set-the-drag (Jan 13, 2013)

I know there are walleye that will randomly get a blue color but was always told blue pike was a sub species that was between a perch and walleye as far as size like 22" was considered a monster at least my grandfather said that's about as big as he'd ever seen or heard of. Now maybe the recent blue walleye was just the random bule coloration that happens in walleye but not the same species that was around 100 years ago. Idk i don't see how you can have population of tens of millions that were blue just suddenly disappear or stop being blue it just doesn't seem to add up unless its something to do environmental reasons


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## bowhunter1487 (Aug 13, 2014)

set-the-drag said:


> I know there are walleye that will randomly get a blue color but was always told blue pike was a sub species that was between a perch and walleye as far as size like 22" was considered a monster at least my grandfather said that's about as big as he'd ever seen or heard of. Now maybe the recent blue walleye was just the random bule coloration that happens in walleye but not the same species that was around 100 years ago. Idk i don't see how you can have population of tens of millions that were blue just suddenly disappear or stop being blue it just doesn't seem to add up unless its something to do environmental reasons


My best semi-educated guess is that there was a cohort ("the blue pike") that had a certain behavioral pattern, most likely forage related, and the forage base either rapidly changed or somehow they got outcompeted by the yellow walleye. Possibly due to the arrival of rainbow smelt or alewives? Who knows. I totally believe there was a "different fish" in the lake that could have behaved differently in general. The walleyes of today seem to be more pelagic than the wallleyes of the 80's even. I heard the stories from my grandpap also. I'm just saying it's been studied and they were genetically the same species. Then again I'm genetically the same species as all the other 7.8 billion **** sapiens on earth and we certainly all behave differently and look different, so maybe we're just splicing scientific hairs here.


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## Bluefinn (Jan 26, 2007)

Now I'm curious if blue pike had the pin bones of a modern pike or was the fillet like a walleye. You guys know what I mean.


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## Misdirection (Jul 16, 2012)

This article references the genetic study done...says they are the same genetically as a yellow walleye?!?









Blue walleye - Wikipedia







en.m.wikipedia.org





Sent from my SM-A505U using Tapatalk


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## bowhunter1487 (Aug 13, 2014)

Predatory fish will generally become stunted when there is a lack of forage. That could explain the anecdotes of the small sizes. More forage in the lake now that there are nonnative smelt and shad, and who knows what else was going on given how polluted the lake was for much of the 20th century.


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## baby blue (Sep 8, 2005)

bowhunter1487 said:


> Except there are still a few walleye in the lake and once in awhile someone catches a clue color phase. Genetic testing proved the blue pike was just a walleye color phase that dominated the lake for some reason.


I remember reading that same article in the plain dealer years ago. Someone has a blue pike in their freezer from way back. All the testing came back that it was just a walleye with coloring difference. 
It’s definitely true


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## bowhunter1487 (Aug 13, 2014)

baby blue said:


> I remember reading that same article in the plain dealer years ago. Someone has a blue pike in their freezer from way back. All the testing came back that it was just a walleye with coloring difference.
> It’s definitely true


I can search around but I've read many. Not just one-off testing but a university up in ON I believe tested dozens. 

Sorry for derailing a perch thread.


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## baby blue (Sep 8, 2005)

Here’s the article. Interesting 








Blue pike may have just been different color walleye


The legend of the extinct blue pike just got fishier -- it may have actually been a walleye.




www.cleveland19.com


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## Bluefinn (Jan 26, 2007)

I would like to see pictures. Surely there's some black & whites with guys holding stringers.


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## Bluefinn (Jan 26, 2007)

baby blue said:


> Here’s the article. Interesting
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Looks like a pike to me in that pic.


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## fasteddy (Jul 15, 2012)

Bowhunter1487, thanks for acknowledging the stomping of this thread, maybe have gotsum rename it blue pike story. Just joking, no foul intended. Was watching the comments thinking this is just like that Andy Griffith episode that... ( Whoops !!! )


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## Morrowtucky Mike (May 2, 2018)

I thought this thread was about Lake Erie perch?


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## miked913 (Feb 29, 2008)

You never know what you'll learn here on ogf! I enjoyed this one! Look squirrel!

reelylivinsportfishing.com


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## Blind Owl (Sep 9, 2010)

that was a good article.


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