Expert-Guided Lake Erie Fishing Charters

American Yellow Perch

American Yellow Perch (Perca Flavescens) Description

The American Yellow Perch are one of the smaller-sized members of the perch family, Percidae. They have an elongated, oval body with a long blunt snout.  Like most perches, it has two separate dorsal fins.  The first dorsal fin contains 12-14 spines and 12 soft rays. The second has 2-3 spines and 8 soft rays.  They are a golden yellow, however, their color can sometimes vary from bright green to olive green or golden brown. Their sides have a pattern of vertical bars. Their pectoral fins are transparent and amber in color. The juveniles are paler and a whitish color. 

Yellow Perch have a large number of sharp teeth. They are rough to the touch because of their overlapping, comb-like scales.  

Size and Diet

The largest recorded American Yellow Perch is 20 inches although they are more commonly found at 7.5 inches and 2 pounds.

Yellow Perch eat a variety of invertebrates such as insects, mollusks, chitons, snails, and worms. squids, along with small fish.

Spawning

The Yellow Perch spawning occurs in the spring when water temperatures rise above 36 degrees and typically occurs at night or early morning.  Along the shorelines, the females extrude their eggs in long ribbons. You will find them draped along submerged vegetation, dead branches, and trees. Once the females extrude their eggs, groups of male yellow perch will follow and fertilize them.  

Interesting Facts

Yellow perch is one of the easiest fish to catch in all seasons and tastes great. It makes up around 85% of the sport fish caught in Lake Michigan.

Common names for the perch are yellow perch, American perch, and lake perch

In the Northeastern United States, these Perch are an extremely important food source for birds.  The cormorants specifically target yellow perch as their primary prey. Other birds that also prey on them include eagles, gulls, hawks, and many more.

Survival rates of juvenile yellow perch are low because they are much preyed upon.  

Fishing Technique

To catch these fish, a good ultralight spinning or spin-cast combo spooled with 2-4lb (1-2kg) mono works well. 

Most yellow perch catches will be made with live bait. You can't go wrong with minnows, leeches, or worms, but you can use almost any insect or small fish or fish parts. 

If you are looking at lures, small jigs, spinners, and jigging spoons will work.

Yellow perch are schooling fish and it's not unusual to see a school of 200 fish. Go get'em!

Habitat and Distribution

These Perch live in ponds, lakes, creeks, and slow-flowing rivers. You will find them in heavily vegetated waters among reeds, weeds, docks, and other structures. You may find large schools of Yellow Perch near the shore during the spring. They can also be found in brackish water. 

Yellow Perch are found in the rivers of the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, the Great Lakes, the Mississippi River basin, and throughout the majority of the northeast United States and parts of Canada.

Lake Trout

## Lake Trout (Salvelinus Namaycush) The lake trout is the largest member of the char family. Lake trout have a grey to green coloring with a lighter belly, the fish also have yellow to cream colored markings on its body and fins as well. Lake trout are known to be slow growing, and mature late in their lives and have low reproductive potential when compared to other species of game fish. ## Lake Trout Habitat Lake trout are a cold-water species, like a cold water species, they rely on high levels of oxygenation to survive. Lake trout are a very popular game fish and are the only major native game fish to inhabit deep and cold water of oligotrophic lakes, like those of northern Canada and the Great Lakes region. Most of the time the Salvelinus Namaycush can be found in these deep and cold water lakes suspended in the middle of the basin, sometimes at deep depths.  Lake trout have a relatively narrow distribution and range when compared to other species. Lake trout are found in the northern reaches of North America including the Great Lakes region and throughout Canada and parts of Alaska and to a lesser extent the Northeastern United States. Lake trout have also been artificially stocked in Europe like the Scandanavian country of Sweden. New Zealand, South America, and even parts of Asia have stocked populations of lake trout as well. ## Lake Trout Size Lake Trout are the largest of the char species, with sizes of 15-40 pounds not uncommon, and averages lengths of 24-36 inches. The world record Lake trout were caught on rod and reel Great Bear Lake in the Northwest Territories of Canada and was 72 pounds and had a length of 52 inches. ## Lake Trout Facts Lake Trout are known to hybridize with Brook Trout, creating a hybrid species known as “Splake” hybrid fish such as splake are usually sterile. And Fisheries around North America raise and stock splake in bodies of water to provide more sport fishing opportunities for fishermen. Due to being a cold water species Lake Trout in the southern reaches of their distribution and range tend to live in very deep water during the summer months, where the water temperatures are more suited to their needs. ## Lake Trout Fishing The best time to fish for Lake Trout really depends on factors like weather, These fish prefer to avoid bright light, so a good time to fish them are typically in overcast or low light conditions. Not only do lake trout prefer these conditions they also generally feed more frequently during these times. Most importantly is finding bodies of water with which lake trout inhabit, as they have such particular habitats and not all lakes can support them. Seeking out the deep water areas of these lakes are a great place to start. In the spring immediately after ice out can be a great time for fishermen to pursue lake trout, with the colder water temperature the fish can be found relatively shallow. ## Lake Trout Fishing Lures Jigging is the preferred method when targeting this species due to fishing in deep water. Lures like the Rapala Jigging Rap and lure that imitate wounded baitfish work great. Other great options are lures like jig heads with soft plastic paddle tail swimbaits used in a jigging fashion, skirted jigs and bladed jigging spoons are also great options. Crankbaits are great if the Fish are higher in the water column or if you're trolling, allowing the crankbaits to reach their maximum depth. Don't count out old fashioned spoons either, they can be a great tool to catch lake trout. ## The Trout Family Trout are members of the family Salmonidae, order Salmoniformes. The native trout family is closely related to salmon. A top fly fishing family of fish that are both tremendous game fish and tasty eating fish. Found in small streams, large rivers, and any trout stream with the right water temperature, aquatic insects, and clean water. The trout species is usually restricted to freshwater, though a few types migrate to the sea between spawnings. Members of the trout species include [Rainbow Trout](https://guidesly.com/fishing/fish-species/rainbow-trout), [Brown Trout](https://guidesly.com/fishing/fish-species/brown-trout), [Brook Trout](https://guidesly.com/fishing/fish-species/brook-trout), [Lake Trout](https://guidesly.com/fishing/fish-species/lake-trout), [Steelhead Trout](https://guidesly.com/fishing/fish-species/steelhead), [Bull Trout](https://guidesly.com/fishing/fish-species/bull-trout), [Cutthroat Trout](https://guidesly.com/fishing/fish-species/cutthroat-trout), [Apache Trout](https://guidesly.com/fishing/fish-species/apache-trout) and several other smaller species.

Walleye

Walleye (Sander Vitreus) Description

Walleye are freshwater fish that is a part of the perch family. They are a very popular game fish for the angler in the regions where they are found, and also a favorite for the dining table. Walleye are long and thin and have a golden and olive coloring with white bellies. One predominant feature of the walleye is its eyes, which have a silver eyeshine called the tapetum lucidum.  This eyeshine greatly aids the walleyes when feeding in low-light conditions. 

Walleye Habitat and Distribution 

Walleye live in a wide range of habitats. In small to large rivers, to deep and shallow lakes. They are fairly particular to where they like to be in these bodies of water and see out sand, rock, or gravel bottoms. Walleye will usually stay deeper in the water column during daylight hours and use weeds, timber, or other structures for cover. In River systems, they will likely spend their daylight hours in deep holes and drop-offs, and move out into the shallows to seek forage during the lowlight period. Walleyes can tolerate water temperatures from 32 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit but are most comfortable when water temperatures are at 70 degrees. Walleye are nocturnal creatures that feed in shallow waters at night. Adult walleye primarily consume other fish. Small crustaceans and insects, primarily mayflies, are eaten by young walleye.

Walleye are found in the Arctic south of Canada down to the Great Lakes region and east to the St. Lawrence systems. Lake Erie is a well-known home of walleye anglers and great walleye fishing. The Midwest and Canada are the most popular areas with the best fishing, but over decades the species has been introduced artificially into lakes and reservoirs all over North America. The breathtaking waters of Lake of the Woods and Rainy River have earned the title of "Walleye Capital of the World." It has some of the best fishing in the world, and anglers come here year after year in search of that elusive record catch.

Typical Size and Weight

Walleye are reasonably large fish with a sleek and conical body shapes and a mouth lined with sharp teeth. the adult walleye can grow to 30 inches or more in length and top out at around 20 pounds in weight. Females generally grow larger than males. 

Interesting Facts 

The Walleye also has a European counterpart, the zander, that looks very similar but the zander can grow much larger and can reach a weight of 40 plus pounds. 

The walleye can live for decades, with the oldest recorded fish being 29 years old. In areas with heavy fishing pressure however, Walleye usually don’t live past 5 or 6 years of age. 

Fishing Techniques - How to Catch Walleye

Walleye can be a challenging game fish to pursue. Their location in a body of water and the tactics used to catch these fish can vary depending on certain times of the year. Walleye generally live at depths of 10 feet or greater, though in the spring and at night they can be found in shallow water areas. Freshwater fishing for walleye is best in the evening when minnow-style lures or jigs are fished near the bottom over rock piles or along the edges of weed beds.

Finding the fish is one of the biggest challenges for the walleye angler and the best place to start it by fishing structure. The angler should search multiple types of structure at varying depths to figure out where the walleye are on any given day. Be sure to check break lines, deep weed edges rock piles, and even in the middle of the basin for suspended schools of baitfish. With a little bit of time on water exploration, you will find the Walleye population.

Live bait is the key to successful Walleye catches such as minnows, nightcrawlers, and leeches.  One of the best techniques is a live bait rig, to which you troll your lure slowly along the bottom. These rigs include a ¼ or a ½ pound sinker, a swivel, a 3 - 6 foot leader of a 6-pound fishing line, and a No. 4 or 6 hook.

Is Walleye Good to Eat

Walleye is a delicious fish making it a popular choice among seafood lovers. The mild, flaky texture of the fish along with its sweet, buttery flavor is enough to make anyone's mouth water. This makes walleye an excellent ingredient that pairs well with a wide variety of dishes. Whether you fry or grill it, walleye never fails to impress with its delicious taste. So, if you're looking for a healthy and tasty addition to your meals, walleye is definitely the way to go!

Walleye meat has a firm texture that holds up well to cooking methods such as grilling, frying, or baking. Its mild taste can be enhanced by seasoning it with herbs and spices or marinating it in your favorite sauce. Walleye also has low levels of mercury and other harmful contaminants, making it safe to eat regularly.
When preparing walleye, remove the skin and bones before cooking. This will give you a clean fillet.

However, it's not just its flavor that makes it so popular. Walleye is also a very nutrient-dense food that provides numerous health benefits. It's rich in omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, and selenium, all of which are essential for maintaining optimal health. Omega-3s are known to reduce inflammation in the body and improve heart health, while B vitamins play a crucial role in energy production and maintaining a healthy nervous system. Selenium is an important mineral that helps protect against oxidative damage and supports the immune system. By adding Walleye to your diet, you not only get the pleasure of savoring a delicious meal but also the nutritional benefits that come along with it. So, go ahead and indulge in this delectable fish to keep your body healthy and functioning at its best.