White Perch on the Fly

If you are not having any luck with early season stripers (Morone saxitalis), and you have some extra time near sunset, you might get a tug on the line from their cousin Morone Americana, better known as white perch.  Also called “silver bass,” they look just like a chunky striper without the stripes. 

 

If someone were to tell you one method for finding and catching the mysterious white perch, you would most likely have no idea about what they were talking about unless you actually saw it for yourself.  The method that I learned during the 1960s, and know about, takes place in brackish salt ponds.  They are somewhat nocturnal and their eyes are light sensitive, so after sunset, white perch become active, feeding, rising, and swirling. 

 

In my area on Cape Cod, I have found that on mild evenings, after April 19^th, and into the month of May, perch can be caught fairly easily during a brief window of opportunity, just before dark, or as soon as the sun leaves the water.  In late April, the period from approximately 7:45 to 8 p.m. is pretty much it.  You might see earlier fish active with heavier swirls further out, but those are usually out of fly casting range, but be patient, as they will move closer to shore as the evening progresses.  You might be able to wade out further with waders if it isn’t too muddy or deep.  As the sun sets later during May, the time frame expands a little, especially if it is a warm day at 55˚ or above, and there are a lot of fish present.  A cloudy evening helps start the bite 20 minutes sooner.  This narrow range of 20 minutes, more or less, hardly seems worthwhile, but it can vary as much as up to 45 minutes, from 7:15 to 8 p.m.  I found another perch pond where they could be caught during the day, but they were all small ones up to 6-inches.  Today, the numbers of perch in my location have dwindled significantly.  As spawning season approaches in May, a few more sea run perch should arrive to participate in this annual ritual. 

Tidal creek through marshland

 

Look for a backwater brackish salt pond with a long creek that is connected to another salt pond, or directly to the ocean.  A good spot to check and try would be at each end of the creek mouth between the two ponds.  Any incoming sea runs can be caught at sunset off the sand bar adjacent to the creek mouth of a salt pond.  Here the outflow brings shrimp, worms, and other bait from the brackish pond to the salt pond.  You may even catch one by surprise while fly casting for stripers in these same locations.  I once caught a 16-inch perch on my 8wt using a worm fly, and thought I had a striper on the line, until I landed it and saw to my surprise a fat female full of eggs and ready to spawn.  Rare record sizes can weigh over 4 pounds, but a more realistic larger size would be a slab in the 16 to 18-inch range which would range up to 3 pounds.

White Perch

 

You will also encounter herring and even an occasional schoolie striper.  Don’t be surprised if you hook into a rare and big landlocked striper, that will surely break whatever light tackle line you had intended for white perch.  A lot of the early signs of activity around 7 p.m. could be caused by herring.  Herring will most likely be closer to shore rising, and also characterized by lightweight flicks of the tail with glimpses of silver bodies out of the water.  So you might also have a chance to catch a couple of herring.  They are not easy to hook, so you might land one out of a half dozen hits.  Surprisingly the herring put up a pretty good fight, like a baby tarpon. 

Cinder Worm Fly for White Perch

 

I have caught the “silver bass” using semi-floating shrimp flies to help keep the fly above any weeds or algae, and now prefer to use my Orange Explosion worm fly, tied on a number 6 hook.  Small scud flies will work, as I have found my brackish salt pond to be loaded with scuds.  Let the perch take the fly and wait a second or two before setting the hook is usually a good bet.  My best outing took place in early May of 2013, when it clouded up after a sunny day at 5 p.m.  From 6:30 to 7:30, I caught and released 17 perch in an hour, and these were all fresh arrivals, male sea runs.  I use a clear floating line and sometimes a 3-foot clear sink tip.  I usually use my 3 or 4 weight trout rods.  

 

Cinder Worm Fly

 

Orange Explosion Worm Fly

Hooks:  #6 Mustad 4XL, or extra sharp 1XL Daiichi or 811S.

Thread: florescent orange 210 denier or smaller.

Tail: red/orange marabou.

Abdomen/Rib:  florescent fire orange krystal flash epoxy and wrap.

Wings: reddish orange hackles, 1 each side.

Collar: red fox or dark red pheasant tips.

Head: black crystal chenille or black thread.