.jpg) If you want to catch some yellow perch this fall, you don’t have to drive to Lake Erie to fill a cooler. Upground reservoirs, a type of artificial inland lake, offer excellent yellow perch fishing if you know where to go and how to catch them. Most of these reservoirs are located in northwest Ohio and the best ones for yellow perch include: Findlay Reservoir No. 1 (Hancock Co.), Metzger and Ferguson Reservoirs (Allen Co.), Wauseon Reservoir No. 2 (Fulton Co.), Shelby Reservoir No. 3 (Richland Co.), Upper Sandusky Reservoir No. 2 (Wyandot Co.), and Willard Reservoir (Huron Co.)
Yellow perch can be caught in upground reservoirs using techniques similar to those proven effective in Lake Erie. During fall and winter, most anglers use either a spreader or a crappie rig baited with minnows fished very near the bottom. To catch them consistently, try presenting your bait right on the bottom or about a foot off the bottom. Another effective approach is slowly jigging your bait up and down.
The key to catching yellow perch is similar to being successful with real estate sales—location, location, location. You must find where the fish are holding and feeding. During the fall they are usually found in the deeper parts of these reservoirs. Some anglers use fish finders (sonar) to locate them. However, they can be difficult to see on a fish finder when they are lying on or close to the bottom. Another technique to located yellow perch is to keep moving until you catch one. Yellow perch frequently swim together in groups, so where there is one, there are usually more. Drifting, or slow trolling, around the reservoir until you catch one can reduce your search time. Once you catch one, anchor immediately and fish straight down.
Yellow perch also like to associate close to structure. Most upground reservoirs do not have much vegetation, but if you find some rooted vegetation, try fishing along the edge of the vegetation. If you find submerged trees near shore, they may be worth trying as well.
Remember, if you are not catching these fish, be flexible and try changing location, using other baits, or choosing a different time of day to fish. You may find that yellow perch have developed a pattern of feeding at a particular time in a particular reservoir. Once you find the right combination, you’ll be rewarded the best eating freshwater fish anywhere!
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