As a layer of ice forms across the Glacial Lakes region of South Dakota, the thoughts of gold take over the minds of many anglers. Walleye may be the state fish of South Dakota, but it is the jumbo yellow perch that attracts anglers particularly as the ice augers come out of their summer storage. Whether looking for a fish fry or a trophy for the wall, anglers targeting South Dakota jumbo yellow perch are sure to find what they are looking for!
Similar to prospectors looking for gold, anglers targeting perch often follow many of the same patterns. Overall, the top perch fisheries can be classified as “boom or bust” and the best bite can vary widely from lake to lake, year to year, and even within the season. The variable nature of this fishing may make anglers think, “will the gold run out?” To answer this question, one must understand the dynamics of yellow perch in South Dakota.
Two Distinct Populations of Perch
In South Dakota, there are two distinct yellow perch population types. The first of these populations are considered “High Quality” perch populations, these populations exhibit extremely fast growth rates, reach sizes greater than 12 inches, and are often very short-lived, generally surviving only 3-5 years before experiencing natural mortality.
The “High Quality” perch experience inconsistent recruitment and variable abundance, this means they are essentially “boom or bust” populations. When they are booming, they are abundant, live fast, die young, and quickly reach sizes classified as “jumbos” by anglers.
By contrast, the second population type would be “Poor Quality”, these perch display generally the exact opposite of their ‘High Quality” counterparts. These perch exhibit slow growth, generally only reach 8-9 inches in maximum size, and live longer, often 6-8 years before experiencing natural mortality.
The “Poor Quality” perch offer consistent recruitment and overall high abundance. Generally speaking, there are often significant numbers of perch available for anglers to target, but they fail to reach the sizes that would be classified as “jumbos’, nonetheless even greater than 10 inches.
Environmental Factors at Play
Yellow perch recruitment and growth is often tied to environmental factors. Generally speaking, perch exhibit a short hatch window and the environmental conditions at this time have a significant impact on the overall recruitment of that year-class. Springs that provide increased precipitation, minimal wind, and warmer air temperatures produce the best conditions for a successful year-class.
Another important environmental factor that influences yellow perch populations would be winterkill. Winterkill is not an uncommon problem in many perch fisheries, particularly in southeast South Dakota. In fact, winterkill can even bring benefits such as keeping rough fish populations in check. In addition to the perch’s naturally short lifespans, these winterkill events can produce significant mortality as well. Overall, natural mortality has far greater impacts on perch populations than mortality via angler harvest.
Important Component of the Aquatic Food Web
Yellow perch are a very important component of the food web, both as a predator and prey. Perch serve as an important food source for predators such as walleye, northern pike, and even smallmouth bass. In fact, perch abundance can be related to walleye growth rates and condition particularly in eastern South Dakota.
Perch themselves experience excellent growth rates feeding on freshwater shrimp, which are extremely abundant in the Glacial Lakes region of northeast South Dakota. These abundant freshwater shrimp serve as the primary food source for these fish and are an important component of the quick growth rates. Overall, zooplankton are a critical component in these types of lakes for yellow perch.
Historical Management Perspective
In 2002, South Dakota implemented the Northeast Panfish Management Area. This was a ten panfish daily limit on yellow perch, crappie, and bluegill. This was a significant reduction from the previous limit of 25 fish. The reason this regulation was implemented was because the fishing was very good and the anglers were worried the strong fisheries would not last.
Overall, the 10 fish daily limit did not extend a “good fishing” window or cause a “hot bite” to develop consistently on certain waterbodies. The perch populations continued to be highly variable, driven by recruitment and overall mortality.
One of the greatest reasons this regulation did not impact perch populations was because of the natural mortality these fish encountered. Whether harvested by anglers or not, it was very rare to see northeast South Dakota perch living beyond four years. Even lakes where perch have been documented to live longer such as Waubay Lake, the decreased limit did not impact the long term populations or harvest of perch.
Beyond management via regulations, South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (GFP) started perch stocking efforts at Blue Dog Fish Hatchery in 2008, stocking upwards of 30 million fry and 7.5 million fingerlings in dozens of stocking efforts. These stockings had little impact on the overall perch fishing, failing to produce the “hot bite” that would be expected of such extensive stocking efforts.
It was found these stocking efforts were often a drop in the bucket compared to the “boom” of natural year classes, and these stockings were largely ineffective. North Dakota Game and Fish experienced similar results, discontinuing their fingerling stocking efforts in the early 2000s.
Mining the Gold
Yellow perch in eastern South Dakota are a fish that should be harvested. Perch fisheries are naturally “boom or bust” and even when the fishery is booming, there will be high natural mortality simply based on the dynamics of these populations. Top perch lakes will often vary widely year to year simply based on these population dynamics and the environmental factors across the entire season.
Overall, yellow perch in eastern South Dakota live fast, die young, and reach extremely memorable sizes. Anglers should take advantage of hot bites when they present themselves and enjoy some of the best freshwater fish table fare. Whether looking for a perch for the wall or for the frying pan, anglers should take advantage of this terrific resource in eastern South Dakota!
