# White perch/white bass?



## river-man2112 (Dec 6, 2017)

Got what im pretty sure is a big white perch? Its about 12 inches or so. Im not too familiar with identifying these 2 species so im wondering what you all do to tell them apart. My understanding is that white bass have horizontal stripes and white perch do not, and also that the body of white perch is deepest in front of the dorsal fin.


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## anagranite (Oct 23, 2010)

Try pulling on the front of the dorsal fin, if both raise up it's a white perch, white bass have 2 separate dorsal fins.


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## wpmisport (Feb 9, 2010)

Go to this thread. At the 11 minute mark of the video it is explained. (Saginaw Bay Threads)
https://www.michigan-sportsman.com/...-between-a-white-bass-and-white-perch.684071/


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## anagranite (Oct 23, 2010)

I had to look it up and make sure I said it correctly.


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## river-man2112 (Dec 6, 2017)

anagranite said:


> Try pulling on the front of the dorsal fin, if both raise up it's a white perch, white bass have 2 separate dorsal fins.


Yeah pretty sure its a white perch. Ive caught them there before just never one near anywhere that big.


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## rivers (Jan 13, 2019)

perch


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

Master Angler if you care about such things.


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## river-man2112 (Dec 6, 2017)

Far Beyond Driven said:


> Master Angler if you care about such things.


Im the master angler trash fish master lol. Ive gotten a couple more white perch bigger than 10" since then as well as a few longnose suckers bigger than 20". Not that im going to be recording it with the DNR or anything. Seems the white perch are running big this year.


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

Wanna bet? 

Carp, white sucker, red horse, quill back carp sucker, largest gizzard shad in the state one year of well the only one entered. White perch, can pretty much promise anyone that wants a MA sheepshead.

Threw back a state record quill back not knowing at the time, but it didn't matter as it was hooked in the top of the head.

White bass.

And after 39 years on Lake Michigan, finally one for an actual target species, a 36" lake trout. 

All those marks you see around the piers, well, most of them aren't salmon!


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## river-man2112 (Dec 6, 2017)

I say it jokingly because on certain bodies of water its not difficult to catch master angler size fish, especially the not as sought after species. Whats your biggest carp by the way? I got a 33" out of the thornapple, didnt have a scale with me but it was girthier than fish ive measured at 20-21 pounds.


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## ITTYBITTYKITTY (Jul 8, 2014)

If you don't mind sharing, where did you catch that white perch? Is there a particular period that is best there? Thanks.


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## DecoySlayer (Mar 12, 2016)

It's kinda funny. While I know that white perch are invasive here, but in their native areas they are a sought after species. The white perch runs, on the Choptank River in MD, attract crowds of fishermen, true combat fishing. They even have illegal snagging of white perch below the dam at Red's Bridges.

I have never seen white perch there, in the sizes I see them on Lake Erie. I am not sure why they seem to get bigger here than they do in salt water.


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## river-man2112 (Dec 6, 2017)

ITTYBITTYKITTY said:


> If you don't mind sharing, where did you catch that white perch? Is there a particular period that is best there? Thanks.


Ill tell you that it was on the Grand somewhere between the lake and the first dam (6th street) . And yeah i think usually april/may is their spawning run, ive only ever caught them in the spring.


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## river-man2112 (Dec 6, 2017)

DecoySlayer said:


> It's kinda funny. While I know that white perch are invasive here, but in their native areas they are a sought after species. The white perch runs, on the Choptank River in MD, attract crowds of fishermen, true combat fishing. They even have illegal snagging of white perch below the dam at Red's Bridges.
> 
> I have never seen white perch there, in the sizes I see them on Lake Erie. I am not sure why they seem to get bigger here than they do in salt water.


Ive heard they are prolific egg-eaters, and like you said theyre invasive to the Great Lakes. I keep almost every white perch I catch, either to eat or use as catfish bait. I think their meat is similar to crappie in taste/texture, which is to say a step below bluegill and yellow perch. But still good.


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## DecoySlayer (Mar 12, 2016)

I used eat them all the time when I fished in MD.


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## ITTYBITTYKITTY (Jul 8, 2014)

Thanks river-man1212. I wonder if they summer on the bayous or the big lake? Getting into a school on the surface with an ultralight is a blast.


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

My best carp was 24.5# caught sucker fishing on the Kalamazoo on a 6' casting rod and 8# test. Landed him 3/4 mile downstream from where I hooked him after pulling the anchor and getting in my other lines just before I got spooled.

Buddy fishes carp tournaments. Saw him land a 33# backed up with a 31# prefishing the day before a tournament.

I had five steelhead from 33-33.5" when it was 34". Now that it's 32" I haven't come close.


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## 22 Chuck (Feb 2, 2006)

Lots of places sell white perch for lake Erie (yellow) perch.. the just call em perch. We have a place near here that sells something w/ stripes like a zebra that the call perch. No where near the same for eating...yuk.


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## steve99 (Apr 30, 2015)

That’s definitely a white perch, if you like largemouth or smallmouth bass, tilapia, then white perch is for you. Has a sand like taste, white bass if you just take the top loin is much better table fairly close to a pike flavor.


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## river-man2112 (Dec 6, 2017)

steve99 said:


> That’s definitely a white perch, if you like largemouth or smallmouth bass, tilapia, then white perch is for you. Has a sand like taste, white bass if you just take the top loin is much better table fairly close to a pike flavor.


Yeah I ended up eating a couple of them. I didnt get the sand taste but it is a firmer texture and less flaky then, say, a walleye or a pike. For me it was pretty good but not on par with walleye/pike/catfish/bluegill. Would eat it again though. Most fish taste decent if you deep fry them haha.


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