Utah's Perch Waters
(Published Jan. 1999, Utah Outdoors magazine)

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By Sam Webb

Fish Lake

Perch were illegally planted in Fish Lake and they are an unwelcome nuisance. The perch showed up in the lake just about the same time that the urasian millfoil (an exotic weed that rings the lake) became abundant.

The weeds provided perfect habitat for the perch and acted as a barrier keeping the lake trout and splake from feeding heavily on them. The net result has been a perch explosion. Of course it only took a few years and the perch had overwhelmed their forage base and began to stunt. Now the average size perch is only four to six inches long.

The only thing that the Fish Lake perch have going for them is that they are so highly colored. I don't know if it is the cold water or the food they eat but these are easily the most brightly colored perch I have ever seen.

To catch a bucket full of perch at Fish Lake is easy and this is a great place to take the kids both in the winter and summer. This year the ice is so clear as all you have to do is look down into the water through the ice as you walk out onto the lake. You'll see an abundant growth of weeds that will reach up almost to the ice. Keep walking until you find the edge of the weeds. In most places the edge will be a fairly dramatic line. Fish just off the weed bed (on the deep, weed-free side). Use any of the standard perch baits (worms, meal worms, wax worms, perch meat, etc.) and drop the bait right to the bottom. Bring the bait off the bottom six inches to a foot and you will immediately start getting bites. These aren't big fish so use a small hook and a small piece of bait. If your bait is too large you will get tons of bites but you won't catch any fish.

Once you figure them out you'll be able to catch perch until you just don't want to catch any more.

The nice thing about fishing just off the weed beds is that there is always the possibility of a nice rainbow or splake to add some excitement.

Yuba Reservoir

Yuba is an interesting water because it is so large and because it is so subject to irrigation demands. During poor water years this reservoir is drawn down so low that the fishery is jeopardized.

During the drought years in the early 90's the perch fishery was compromised and the fishery collapsed. Of course with no perch to eat, the walleye fishery was also destroyed. With the end of the drought and with the wonderful water years we have been having, the perch fishery has rebounded and now there are millions of perch in the reservoir.

As a matter-of-fact, Yuba perch are, by any standards, HUGE. There are lots and lots of fish that are over a foot long and the big ones are up to about 16 inches. That's about as big as yellow perch get anywhere in the world.

Of course most of the perch are in the eight to 12 inch range (or smaller) and an angler will have to work to find the big ones.

For the size of the reservoir, access is fairly limited and most anglers fish near the dam, out from the state park or around the island at Painted Rocks.

As a general rule the larger perch tend to be out in the deeper water Ñ 30 feet deep or deeper. While meal worms and wax worms work well, the bigger perch will more readily take perch meat.

Ice rarely forms uniformly at Yuba and just because there is safe ice in one area doesn't mean it will be safe everywhere. Check the ice carefully before you get too far away from the bank and always be careful.

I've always found the perch at Yuba to be within just a few inches of the bottom. Raising the bait just a foot or so off the bottom may result in almost no perch caught. Keep that bait within just an inch or two of the bottom for the best success.

DMAD and Gunnison Bend

I have never fished for perch at either of these reservoirs out near Delta. Dale Hepworth (DWR Southern Region fisheries manager) says that fishing success in these waters varies from year to year. He also said that there are so many kinds of fish that you are never sure what you will catch.

Hepworth said that when they sample the fishery (using gill nets) they bring in white bass, largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye, channel cats, white crappie, yellow perch and bluegill. It sounds to me like fishing these waters would be a real adventure.

Gunnsion Bend is the better of the two fisheries. Many years DMAD gets drawn down so low that the fish generally don't do as well in it. The pool in the river below the spillway is usually the best place to fish at DMAD.

Deer Creek Reservoir

There is some good news coming out on this popular fishery. Charlie Thompson (DWR Central Region fisheries manager) says that the perch are making a strong comeback. If this trend continues the reservoir will be opened for perch fishing for the year 2000. Thompson said that the walleye are feeding heavily on the perch but with another good spawn perch numbers should be high enough to withstand the walleye predation and still provide a good fishing experience.

Perch size is good at Deer Creek with large numbers of 10 to 12 inch fish. For all of 1999 all perch caught have to be immediately released back into the water but that could all change next year.

Bear Lake

Bear Lake is one water that should never have been planted with perch. Still perch were planted there many, many years ago and there isn't a whole lot anyone can do about it now.

Bear Lake water is so cold and the food supply is so limited that the perch do not do well - they don't grow very fast or very big. An eight inch perch would be a monster.

The perch are concentrated in the marinas where the water is enclosed and consequently warms up more than the main lake.

Don't go to Bear Lake to go perch fishing. There are plenty of other waters that have much better fishing for more and bigger fish.

If you are stuck in one of the marinas for a while or if you are tired of chasing those monster cutthroat around then give the perch a try - but don't expect fast fishing.

Willard Bay

There are a good number of perch in Willard Bay Reservoir but it can't be considered one of Utah's best perch waters. Most anglers fish the marinas and most aren't just fishing for perch.

At Willard an angler can expect to catch bluegill, crappie and perch through the same hole in the ice. Don't expect fast perch fishing at Willard but if you drill a hole or park your boat in the right spot fishing can be fast for any or all of the above mentioned species.

The secret at Willard is to keep moving around until you find the fish.

Hyrum Reservoir

Hyrum is one of Utah's most popular perch fisheries. It is easily accessible all winter long. There are lots of big perch with many fish up to about 12 inches. Best of all, while perch fishing there is a good possibility you'll pick up some nice rainbows, up to about 18 inches.

Popular fishing areas at Hyrum are near the dam, just out from the swim beach and along the cliffs.

Generally the perch will be within a foot or two of the bottom and any of the standard perch baits will take plenty of fish.

To catch some of those big rainbows fish with meal or wax worms.

Newton Reservoir

Newton is an interesting water because of the variety of fish it harbors. Newton has lots of perch that range from six to eight inches, hand-sized bluegill, tiger muskie up to a couple of feet long and a pretty good rainbow fishery.

The dam is a popular area to fish because it is easily accessible and because the bluegill and perch hang out in the rocks. Fish deeper and in more open water for the rainbows. The tigers will be following the perch around so it's possible to pick up a tiger anywhere you are catching perch.

There are also some big bass and catfish in Newton but you won't catch many of them through the ice.

Rockport Reservoir

Rockport has been increasing in popularity over the past few years because the fishery has been steadily improving.

Winter fishing at Rockport is exciting because there is always the possibility of a truly big fish. Several browns over five pounds come out of this water each winter and lots of big fat rainbows are caught. Plus, the perch fishing can be fantastic for big, fat fish, up to 12 inches.

I've never figured out any pattern for fishing Rockport. It seems that most anglers just head out into the middle of the lake, drill a hole and start fishing. There doesn't seem to be any particular area where they concentrate.

If I was out after big perch, I'd start down by the dam and I'd just keep on drilling holes until I found the fish. Again, most of the perch will be within a foot of the bottom.

Echo Reservoir

Over the years the perch have moved out of Rockport, gone downstream in the Weber River and into Echo. Unfortunately, Echo doesn't receive much fishing pressure and I couldn't find anyone that knew where the perch are in Echo or how big they are.

I'd approach perch fishing at Echo much like at Rockport. I'd start at the dam and progressively move out into deeper water until I found the fish. It stands to reason that the perch in Echo should be as big as those in Rockport. And, who knows you might get into a school of monsters and have them all to yourself.

Pineview Reservoir

Pineview has to be considered Utah's most popular perch fishery. Commonly on a winter weekend there will be three of four hundred anglers on the ice and almost everyone will catch a whole bucketful of perch.

Pineview is such a popular perch fishery because the perch are so abundant and because they are generally pretty big. There are lots of perch in the eight to 10 inch range and a good number pushing 12 inches.

Plus, at Pineview there is the possibility of getting into some big crappie and an occasional tiger muskie. The tigers are big and catching one over three feet long isn't all that uncommon. The truly big tigers are over 50 inches but there isn't much chance of bringing a tiger that big through a hole in the ice.

Utah Lake

Perch regularly move down the Provo River from Deer Creek Reservoir to Utah Lake but once in the lake they don't do very well. Most of the Utah Lake perch will be concentrated in or near the Provo boat harbor and most will be caught by accident by anglers fishing for other species.

Utah Lake isn't a good perch fishery and probably won't ever be. So, don't be surprised if you catch a perch while catfishing but don't head down to Utah Lake for perch, you'll be disappointed.