Perch of the JUMBO SIZE
A visit to the glory days of magnificent , magnum size perch
by Bill Mitzel Dakota Country Magazine
When I think of wintertime yellow perch , the phrase “ glory days ” comes to mind , days of bullish perch , bright yellow , muscle-bound , fish that lived through good times in good water . But ... fishing like that comes and goes . During those glory days , most of the 1980s into the 1990s , there wasn ’ t likely a place anywhere on the North American continent that produced perch like Devils Lake . Not just one or two or three , but hundreds . Witness the whopper perch lists above . For nearly a decade , 1 lb . yellow perch were so common they did , in fact , disappoint some anglers who were look- ing for bigger perch . How quickly we become spoiled . Those were golden days of perch fishing . Devils Lake was a huge yellow perch producer through the 1980s . It was known far and wide and THEE place to catch winter jumbo perch , and folks came from all over the country to enjoy it . It was easy fishing with no limits . Asked how long it would last , biologists weren ’ t overly alarmed the bite would end , considering how prolific yellow perch were , and especially considering the size and abundant food supply for these fish . But , of course , it eventually dwindled , and as local protests grew , Game and Fish officials placed a limit on these prized creatures , along with limits on other panfish . Even at that , for a time , officials indicated that limits weren ’ t needed on panfish , though eventually the new regulation took place to ease a concerned public . Interestingly , during the peak perch years in the early 1980s , then fisheries chief Terry Steinwand estimated it was common for anglers to catch over 100,000 perch per month from Devils Lake . Devils Lake , along with many other waters , grew tremendously after record rains in 1993 , and fish production followed , including yellow perch . With the rise in water level on Devils Lake , salinity was reduced , which favored egg-hatching success . But even with the water rise , the jumbo perch bite was over on Devils Lake . Officials then began work for renewal . “ Sometimes people think these perch get big overnight ,” said Devils Lake fisheries biologist Randy
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