Let’s have a quick show of hands.
How many out there actually have tossed an eating-sized yellow perch back into the lake? Not so fast, you with the butter dripping down your chin.
Apart from the occasional specimen big enough to actually put a good bend in the rod, perch seemed created expressly to plop into a pan – lemon and parsley optional.
They seem almost the perfect species for the ordinary angler, eager for a variety of baits and lures, either through the ice or on open water.
And may we say again they may be the most tasty fish that swims? Let he who is without spin cast the first bone.
Yet in some parts of Colorado, perch are quite something else: an unwelcome interloper that competes adversely with other, often more desirable, game fish. Depending which boat you’re in, you either love them or hate them.
If it’s Quincy, Aurora, Seaman, Horsetooth, Crawford or a dozen other hot spots around the state, you’ll literally eat them up. But if you talk perch at Blue Mesa Reservoir, you’re in for serious debate, maybe even a scuffle.
Perch have this way of turning up where they’re not wanted, at least by biologists and certain anglers who have their hook set on bigger fish to fry. Unlike other interlopers that arrive via overt and illegal bucket brigades, perch often have an inadvertent means of proliferation: They travel as bait.
A spot check of commercial bait operations by the Division of Wildlife revealed a wide variety of small fish species in addition to the conventional shiners. Many were perch.
Colorado law forbids the use of live minnows above 7,000 feet to curtail such transport. But when perch showed up five years ago at Antero Reservoir, bait buckets almost certainly were the culprit.
The same surely happened at Blue Mesa, Colorado’s most notorious perch disaster. The intruders have gained a solid foothold, spreading to every corner of the big impoundment while posing a challenge to DOW’s efforts to grow kokanee and several trout species.
“Perch compete directly with kokanee salmon fry,” area biologist Dan Brauch said of the problem posed to Blue Mesa’s most coveted species. This proliferation of perch also damages another prized link in the lake’s sport fish chain. Lake trout grow to state-record size chiefly on a rich diet of salmon. But the perch that threaten to displace them contain only a fraction of the nutrients per ounce, in effect stuffing the lakers with hollow calories – not to mention sharp dorsal spines.
Brauch reports a dramatic increase in the Blue Mesa perch creel census last year, roughly 8,000 compared with just 500 in 2004. Numerous specimens were recorded above 10 inches – a good eating size – and some were rumored to reach 14. Those who wish to catch them should look in the Cebolla Arm, East Elk Cove or almost anywhere on the east end.
Methods for catching perch vary widely, part of an appeal that spans the angling public. These eager eaters accept a variety of live bait, from worms to minnows. When the bite is on, they play the fool for small lures such as spoons and soft plastic jigs; crayfish imitations are a particular favorite.
Perch typically congregate in large schools, often segregated by size; catch one and you’re likely to get several. As one might imagine, such fast action makes them a prime target for youngsters cutting their angling teeth.
Smaller specimens have an annoying tendency to nibble. If you’re getting bites without hookups, use a smaller lure or shorten the bait.
Places for perch
EASTERN COLORADO
Aurora Reservoir: Plenty of perch, often difficult to locate.
Boyd Lake: A good population, lightly fished.
Cherry Creek Reservoir: Caught mostly through the ice near the tower.
Horsetooth Reservoir: Small, but coming on strong.
Quincy Reservoir: The metro area hot spot.
Seaman Reservoir: Biggest perch on the Front Range, but access requires a long hike.
WESTERN COLORADO
Blue Mesa Reservoir: Take these perch. Please.
Crawford Reservoir: Big numbers. Colorado’s best bet for a perch bite. Size is increasing through predation by northern pike.
Ridgway Reservoir: Don’t get much notice.
Rifle Gap Reservoir: Large specimens up to 12 inches, but numbers have declined.
Charlie Meyers can be reached at 303-820-1609 or cmeyers@denverpost.com.
