Perch are Back In Saginaw Bay
'And They're Big'
Say Veteran Anglers
Theories Abound About Effects of the Food Chain on Fishery Quality
November 27, 2005
By: Dave Rogers
Capt. Dan Manyen of Essexville shows off a nice-sized perch and a good walleye he helped a charter client hook recently in the Saginaw River.
The perch are back in Saginaw Bay after five lean years, say veteran anglers.
And, "they're big!" is the electrifying report from the AuGres area.
While fishing enthusiasts are looking forward to ice fishing, possibly before the first of the year if cold weather returns, a dramatic turn-around in perch fishing was reported as the summer-fall season wound down.
"The baffling thing is that we haven't caught many perch in the bay for the past five years," says AuGres Bill, adedicated angler who watches the quality of the fishery closely. "Just where these fish have been and how they got so big is another question."
Saginaw Bay fishers have caught yellow perch from Linwood to Caseville. But off AuGres, anglers report huge fish in large numbers. One fishing party recently caught 200 in several hours and all were 8-12 inches long.
Capt. Dan Manyen out of Essexville was able to sniff out some walleye holes recently and caught six good ones with a client. Time is running out for river charters but Capt. Dan also does ice fishing charters. Contact him at http://www.Walleye-Express.com
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources recommends fishing cuts and canals with minnows or wax worms.
Fishing near the mouth of both the Saginaw River and the Quanicassee River is yielding good catches of perch.
Good walleye fishing continues in the Saginaw River with best luck experienced on either white or bright colored jigs tipped with minnows.
Capt. Terry Walsh reported good lake trout and perch catches out of Oscoda this past season but walleye action slow.
Theories about the perch involve several other species: salmon, whose numbers are reported down in the bay and Lake Huron, lake trout, alewives, smelt, walleye and the Asian intruder, gobi.
Tawas Bill says the gobi are gobbling up all the alewives and smelt, normally feed for salmon. That factor has reduced the salmon population so much thatsome charter boat operators on Lake Huron have either gone out of business or moved over to Lake Michigan.
Salmon aren't bottom feeders, so they don't get at the gobi, who hang out in the depths. But walleye and lake trout are bottom feeders, and they thrive on the Asian intruders that came in when ballast from foreign ships was discharged.
Some observers theorize that the perch have returned because salmon aren't around so much to reduce their numbers. Smaller perch now have a better chance to thrive and grow to larger size.
"Guessing why the fish come and go is a lot like guessing where they will be when you go out fishing," said one fishing veteran. "If I knew where to go to catch fish every time I'd be the smartest guy around."###