We are lucky to have two species of perch. The yellow variety loves shallow warm water and is a staple of my kid fishing trips. They respond well to a worm and a bobber, travel in pretty large schools and can be caught in numbers if you are in the right place. They are well known across a large part of the country and are a prized catch in some places. White perch are not as widely distributed around the country but are certainly on the east coast and sometimes live in brackish water. They prefer deeper water than their yellow cousins and are sometimes harder to locate. They are very strong for their size making them well suited to someone looking for sport on a fly rod.
One thing that I love to find this time of year is finding the white perch on the surface chasing bait of some sort and willing to take anything thrown into the middle of the splashing school. I lucked onto them yesterday morning and we had a great time chasing several schools around a cove on Megunticook Lake in Camden. While I did have one over two pounds caught earlier this season most of the ones we caught yesterday were under a pound.
It is exciting to chase a school of fish breaking the surface and actively feeding. I am looking forward to having that happen many times in the coming months!
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River?
Do you know if there are white perch in the saco river in southern Maine? I've caught yellow perch there and crappie.
Recently we saw schools on the surface similar to what you described, but couln't get them to take anything. They were chasing bait fish, and seemed to be decent size. Maybe they were white perch, not sure.
Arons,Tidal section of the
Arons,Tidal section of the river? If so I would guess herring of some sort. Herring do splash on the surface in large schools but are taking plankton. You can sometimes get them to take a small dry fly. Hope that helps.Don
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