Lake Erie Yellow Perch Kayak Fishing 

+James Mullen Thanks man! I did get a lot of weird looks sitting out there with those guys.

Thank you!

Thanks!

+Barbel Man Yes, I have seen your perch from the many RU-vid videos. Yours seem to be bigger as well I think. You also have Zander which looks like our walleye. Many people love perch but I like eating saltwater fish more.

Thanks!

Brady Knight Thanks! I didn’t used a fish basket because it’s just more things to cart and a stringer is easier. On top of that, the only fish basket that I can get is the Eagle Claw one and those are crap. Do you use a better one or know of a better one? The lid fails on the Eagle Claw one.

Thanks man!

yoda2000675 Yes it was and thanks. That was the best solution I could find without drilling into the yak and using that stupid arm that hangs over the side of the yak.

+BBBYpsi This is actually the central basin. I was fishing at the mouth of a river where a shipping channel is. Right behind me is actually a lighthouse and the breakwall.

Ohio waters then. Is this near cedar point? Or near Cleveland. I like in Michigan nice job on the perch also. Those perch are some super good eating.

Majority of the time, side imaging. I use that to find stuff and then switch between the other two to see what it is. It all works together but I wouldn't get a unit without the side imaging.

Cool, thanks.

+Miguel Hernandez Thanks! I'm honestly too stupid to know what knot it is I tied but I just followed a video I found here o youtube that was pretty quick and easy. I hope this works, if not, look up Tying The Perch Rig by Bill and Mikes Angling Adventures and it should be the first video to pop up. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wd2xrgAYJHI.html

+legendaryyaj Thanks for the reply. I guess it was a loop and I couldn't see it. This is the rig I use :)

Man bro you took care of business out there. Great video! 💯🐟💯

+legendaryyaj How can I catch yellow perch in the winter. I have a kayak but no fish finder, is there any specials structure I need to look for or any species baits i should use?

+The Dream Catchers For perch just use a 1 oz weight & one or two hooks on line drop it to bottom were you can feel it barley touching & weight for the bite. Sometimes very light bite other times it can be non stop & other times you might have to move alot & might not get anything. Perch can shut off at anytime or turn on at anytime. You really do not need a fish finder for perch.

Thanks for the help. Would this work in ponds? There is an 18 foot drop off at one of my ponds is that where they would be? Im guessing they will be there all winter long until spawning.

+legendaryyaj The daily limit for yellow perch in mi is actually 50, looks like a good haul there, what kind of stringer was that you are using?

+Arctic Gator It's the best stringer that I have found in my opinion. It is the Lindy Heart of Steel Fish Stringer that you can find at Gander Mountain. It's braided steel with a plastic sleeve over it so all the fish just slides off the stringer when you get home to take the fish off. No fighting with the gills getting caught on the stringer. Only thing is that it's hard to tie a knot with it so I drilled a hole in the metal piece that pokes through the fish and clip that to something. Thanks for watching!

I was using emerald shiners caught from the lake. Perch will eat anything from minnows to worms but hte Lake Erie perch eat emerald shiners so that's what works best up there. Try out different baits to see what works best. I've caught them on minnows, worms, and plastic baits. Good luck!

+canatek Thanks! It's a Humminbird 998 HD SI.

Oh nice. Ill be getting my first side imaging Helix 5 next week. Cant wait!

+canatek Awesome! That should be a good unit.

I have not ventured out that way. This was my first time out and I've only gone perching twice on Erie.

+dylanfishing Thank you sir!

Hmm, perch on peta bread. Thanks for the suggestion

I'm using a GoPro suction cup mount.

Michael Waxter Around 30’

mkdzr72 My kayak was fairly stable but I was still mindful of boaters. When wakes come, I stopped what I was doing and turned my nose into the wake to reduce any chance of flipping. You have to always be aware because boaters and jetskiers don't really care. They'll run up on you just to see what you're doing or to check you out. A lot of boaters are just plain stupid. The proof is at the boat ramp where so many don't have any sense.

To be honest, I've never really dealt with that much wake because I'm always pretty close to shore. If there's any, I've never let it hit me from the side. I've always stopped what I was doing and turned my nose to the wake and it handles it just fine. I try to minimize all risks of flipping so I've never really pushed the limits of the yak.

+Barbel Man Yes, I was using emerald shiners. They seem to out fish everything else on Lake Erie for perch.

+Ratdog 305 Thanks! This was actually out of Edgewater Park by downtown Cleveland. Fished right at the mouth of the mighty Hoga.

You mean the one at the mouth of the Black River? Love that spot!

+Mike Paoletta Yea, fished there a few times. My favorite place is off of Catawba Park (depending on the wind)

+Ratdog 305 Definitely wanna try up there this year. Any idea how the fishing around Put In Bay is?

+Bob Hammond It was but I'm not complaining! I wish it was like that every winter here.

Not very far. Behind me was the break wall actually. I was just facing the main lake so it looks like I was out deep. The fish moved in shallow so I didn't have to paddle out that far.

Matt Allen Edgewater Park

Thanks!

I bought mine from kayak shed.

Nicholas Slesinger Thanks for the kind words. The right way to get out when it’s cooler is to get a wetsuit. They are really expensive so I just wore my neoprene waders which isn’t really smart. Hopefully you bought a pretty stable kayak because it can get nasty out there quick. I’ve learned to only go out when the winds blow from the south as it lays the lake down and I don’t go out very far. Dealing with the elements is one thing but so is dealing with boaters. Always wear your safety vest and be alert. Make sure you carry a whistle as well. I also always stop what I’m doing when a boat sends wake my way. Boaters tend to drive close to see what what a kayaker is doing but they don’t care about the wake they throw. Jet skiers are the worst sometimes. Be alert and pay attention to wind. There’s a couple wind apps that you can use for reference of the wind situation. I use iWindsurf and you can turn on the wind in the MyRadar app. Tight lines and be safe!

legendaryyaj thanks for the quick reply, I have definitely experienced boaters not being fully aware of the issue their wake creates for us yakkers, said some unkind words they probably never heard. I have a 3 mil. Suit from scuba, figure I need 5 mil at least but wanted to check what others suggest before I invested. When you say you stay relatively close, I was about a 25 minute paddle from the Edgewater breakwall, is that too ambitious in your opinion? It was South winds and I kept an eye on the sky and weather apps. Also, do you ever get out on the lake at night? The walleye fishing is just so good right now, I had to give it a try on the yak. You have any recent reports?

Nicholas Slesinger I personally think the distance thing is up to you and your personal health. If you aren’t in great shape, I wouldn’t suggest it but if you are, go ahead as long as you have safety devices and are alert individual. With that said though, you should do it at your own risk. I NEVER went out without my life jacket and my whistle is attached to it. I did the walleye night bite in the fall a couple of times but never got into any. I managed one white bass and one steelhead and that was it but I didn’t venture far because so many boats were out. I just hugged the breakwall but so many bits come in shallow then too. I sold my yak so I no longer get out but I plan to get another soon.

Oh, just living the dream grinding everyday at work.

Keep slaying those perch and remember my annual seminar is coming up soon in March.

You can if the fish is big enough. I couldn't make out individual perch because they were grouped together but I think if they are separated you could. I can see bluegill nests with each fish on it during the spawn. The unit is the Humminbird 998HD SI. It's their older unit now but I recommend any unit with side imaging no matter what make. RU-vid "How side imaging works" and it will teach you how to read what you see. I will NEVER own another unit that doesn't have side imaging.

+DelovoRAWR! Thanks! The rod is the 7'1" ML Daiwa Tatula.

+Yaksouthfishing Thanks! I am running a 998 HD SI with a Werker 18ah AGM battery.

+legendaryyaj it last a good while? I can tend to stay out on the water for ten-twelve hours.

+Yaksouthfishing I haven't ran it straight that long as I've never gone out that long with it but I'm sure it'll last at least 8 hrs. I've used it on multiple days for 5-6hrs without charging it no issues if that helps any.

+legendaryyaj awesome thanks. Can't wait to see some more vids. Hopefully I'll do a video of my install.

+The Dream Catchers This was my first time perching out of the kayak and and first time doing it this late. I only got out this late because the weather was so nice. I don't know how exactly to locate perch structure wise as I don't fish Erie much but you can always just look for a crowd of boats and head there. Someone will be on them and so everyone will just crowd around. Perch on Erie seem to be very specific and wanting emerald shiners but I have caught some on plastic minnows. Emeralds are just more consistent to getting bit it seems from what I've read. Cooler water temps brings all the fish in close so just move around til you find them. I'd highly recommend a depth finder.

I will get one eventually but im talking about bodies of water 5 to 30 acres in size. Ponds. I bet they would eat any small jig though if I found them

+The Dream Catchers oh in that case, yes, you could probably catch them on a small jig. I catch little ones in my local lakes using minnows or a piece of worm on a hook and split shot. They can be found in grass for the bigger fish. I've caught plenty of little ones along the banks where there are laydowns. Again, I'm no pro at perching but that's how I've caught them in the past. I've never really targeted them in my lakes. They school up so if you catch one in open water, you should be able to get more.

Thank you a lot! Have a nice winter!

+The Dream Catchers No problem! Good luck and thanks!

Nite Owl Sully I launched out of Edgewater Park in Cleveland. You are right about it hardly ever being this flat. I just watch the wind predictions and head out accordingly. This was in December too so it's ultra rare to have a day like this. I went out the following week and it was a totally different story. What was a 15-20min paddle became an hour that day.

i'm over in the shallows of Toledo and it's not often we are able to kayak out to far for perch but i am interested in going after them. boat is down so yak is my only option right now

Nite Owl Sully This video is actually the first time I ever perched out of the yak. The second trip was bust and that's all I've done so far. Might try again here this fall if we get a good day. I've never fished out of Toledo but I hear Lorain is pretty good too once fall comes and the fish come shallow with the bait.

i fish mostly out of Lakeside, it's a short 20min ride out to island area and usually a lot of company out there so if you breakdown you can get help quick. average depth around 23' and the rods bend fast on good days. bad days we see a lot of sheephead and white bass. i have caught some monstrous smallies out there too. 20' 22' range no scale and bent the hooks straight but through them back we don't eat them but they are fun as hell to catch. fish Ohio fish but i didn't want to kill them.

Nite Owl Sully You got it pretty good then! Do you mean the ferry is a 20min ride out? I've never fished the islands and have always wanted to but I hear you have to spend the weekend if you go there with a car. I only keep perch, walleye, crappie, and white bass. I'm a bass fisherman so they all get released. I head over to NY during the spring to get my smallies fix.

Thanks! Erie is pretty big and I do not fish it often because it can kick up quickly and there are a lot of boaters and jet skiers who just don't care about kayakers so I pick my days wisely. I'd only feel comfortable going out a couple miles at most. If I had a Hobie to pedal, I would probably go out further. The shore is always in my sight. Perch fishing during the summer usually means you paddle out pretty far. I haven't done it in the summer and probably wont ever because of how far out I would have to paddle out to to find them.

+legendaryyaj yea couple buddies were saying perch would be to far out for me but I'm still thinking rivers for some crappie fishing. I'm looking at a pelican sit in kayak though you see any reason that wouldn't work if I decked it out with a fish finder and rod holders?

It should work out fine. Only advice is try to see if you can try out any kayak you want to buy and buy the best one you can afford.

Thanks! I wish you only knew all the headaches I have had with it too that isn't uploaded onto youtube! lol! The fish were actually all still alive. When you pull perch from deep water, their air bladder expands and causes them to float like that. You'd have to burst it to make them sink but I was keeping them so I didn't bother. Stable is relative. When I read all over online that it was stable and first got on mine, I didn't feel it was stable at all. If you naturally have poor balance, you will feel this yak is unstable. Even though it is wobbly, I find it pretty stable as it hasn't rolled over on me and I've been caught in some bad instances where I feel I would've rolled in a cheaper kayak. I hope you enjoy your Cuda!

Thanks! It's a Jackson Cuda 12. There isn't much you can do about your gear being water safe unless it's the action cameras that are waterproof in their case. If you pick a stable kayak you should be fine if you don't fish rough waters.

thanks ... it looks like your out around Toronto or Scarb? ... where did you get your kayak?

I'm actually stateside and I ordered my yak through Kayak Shed.

nice again cant wait to get out in the smaller rivers we have around me ... thanks for the info!

hey what do you think of the Jackson Kilroy ... ? am leaning towards this one so I can photograph and keep my gear dry

+Brian Spock Its a Jackson Cuda 12

Rodney Anthony i think whatever you choose will work. I used a stringer because it's what I had without having to spend anymore money. The perch were still lively when I got back to the ramp. I just added ice to them on the way home in a cooler I brought. Bringing the perch up from deep water usually forces their air bladder out causing them to float so unless you pop it, they'll most likely be on top of the water as mine were. Thanks for the compliment and be safe out there. I don't paddle Erie much but when I do, I try to always be cautious of my surroundings.

Thanks for the advice, appreciate it. Yea Lake Erie can get evil very fast. The kayak I have is pretty stable, the Kaku Wahoo so she should be able to handle it. I always wear my PFD. One thing I will probably get going out on Lake Erie is a 360 light pole and flag. Watching all your videos, keep them coming. Tight lines.

Rodney Anthony Thanks and tight lines brotha!

Just right outside of Edgewater Park

+yes man I split this up with my buddy and took some to my parents. My buddy doesn't fish so I usually give him and his family some. The fish aren't dead. If you pull fish from deep water, their air bladder swells up which causes them to float. I'm not sure if you are familiar with what a fishes air bladder does, but you can look that up as I probably would explain it all wrong. There is a process called "fizzing" a fish that lets the fish survive but since I kept most of what I caught, I didn't fizz them.

legendaryyaj oh ok

Randy914 Edgewater Park

legendaryyaj thank you sir!👍🏼

Megadeth Maniac I got it from Gander Mountain but you can order it online since Gander went out of business. It's made by Lindy and called the Heart of Steel fish stringer. It is a big game changer for stringer. It's the only thing I use unless you want to use one of this big salt water fish loops.

legendaryyaj thanks so much man! good luck and tight lines maybe see you on the water.

Launched at Edgewater Park boat ramp

Thanks man!

It's custom made from a GoPro Suction mount and Ram parts. I'll make a video on how it's all setup since there seems to be some interest in it. If it'll work for your transducer or not is something you'll have to figure out as each transducer mounts differently.

ok well i have a kayak and i was planing on getting humminbird piranhamax 197c and was wondering if you could do a tut on how you set yours up and i could see if my trancducer would work with it?

+gbaproductionz Have you looked at other ways to mount your transducer? Mine setup is unique as all other mounts wouldn't have work with my transducer. You can probably get away with something like the Ram transducer arm and a YakAttack Cell block.

Thanks. Setup was 7'1" ML Daiwa Tatula with a Daiwa Sol 2000

+Armon McCord No problem bro. I got no plans to add stablizers as I don't fish Erie much and my yak is pretty stable as is. If I plan to fish Erie, I just watch the wind forecast. I only go out when it's south winds under 10mph . It'll lay the lake down lake in this video here. Be safe out there.

+legendaryyaj Yea I'm a little worried about the waves and boats.... But it nothing like limiting out on perch or hitting a school of white bass... Thank a lot for the advice... Keep posting videos if you can!!!

+Armon McCord Thanks. I plan to make as many vids as I can. The boaters and jet skiers out there are really rude. They'll run right up to you or by you just to see you. I always stop what I'm doing and turn the nose of my yak into their wake so I don't get knocked over. Always be alert and wear your life jacket at all times.

+legendaryyaj Word! Jet skiers are super assholes.... I was shocked to see you doing so well on yellow perch from what I heard it was a bad year for yellow perch...

+Cameron Spraker It's a 240cm Bending Branches Angler Ace

+legendaryyaj thanks I was going to get one

Anders Olsen Humminbird 998HD SI

+Leopoldo Contreras Ohio

+legendaryyaj nice im from Ohio. Toledo. this video is legit you killed it. how many miles out did you go?

+Leopoldo Contreras Thanks! Believe it or not, I was only about a mile out.

+Armon McCord It's a Humminbird 998 HDSI

+Everything Fish Thanks! I'm actually in Ohio but have fished in PA for Smallies.

+Scott Scott Ohio waters

bill beachbound Thanks for watching but I sold my yak. There’s nothing I would change about my setup. I had exactly what I wanted and how I wanted it. Specifically bought that one based on how I wanted to set it up. Best investments were the fish finder and power pole micro.

Humminbird 998 HDSI

It's a Bending Branches Angler Ace. I got it from Austin Kayak and Canoe.

998

Thanks

blue widow I had waders on so they weren’t. This was one of those rare warm December days as well!

+David Acosta If I ate them I would, but I gave these away. I just fillet the fish I usually do keep and make fish tacos or fish sandwiches!

Thanks! I've honestly only perched 3 times and when I have, everyone does it the same as I'm doing or even worse because they have shorter rods. I really have no reason but I guess so that they don't get off if they are keeper size. Plus they sooner I get them up and off the hook, the faster I can get another shiner down to get another!

When you want to go?

Daiwa Sol 2000 and Dawia Tatula 7'1" ML

Edgewater Park Launch

Alex Brandt feat GuitK - Until the End