A lake I frequently fish has a nice population of perch. Last winter most were in the 6-9 inch rage, now they’re mostly in the 8-11 inch range. Does this mean We might have some more big perch next year in the 12+ inch range, or will they die of old age? I’m not sure what their typical life span is, as I don’t think I’ve witnessed the death of fish by old age very often.
All depends on food availability year to year and the biology of the water they’re found in.
If they’re growing that fast in the lake you should be in good shape for an even bigger class next year.
Some lakes can grow monsters, others are stunted for various reasons.
I wouldn’t worry about them dying.
All depends on food availability year to year and the biology of the water they’re found in.
X2 on this.
Are you talking about one of the Eastern ND sloughs you fish? Life spans are short in those highly fertile/productive lakes and fish grow really fast. If you’re talking about a lake closer to the DL area, those lakes are typically not as fertile so it’s a bit slower year over year growth vs prairie pothole lakes.
You also can’t ignore genetics RE: max size of a fish. Now that they’ve hit 8-11 inches, growth may really slow down and/or it may not be in the make-up of those fish to get above a certain size, say 12-13 inches.
If it’s a prairie slough/pothole, there’s a chance you’ll get big fish in there starting next year but it depends.
Some areas just have the right makeup to be a perch factory. As others have said, it will likely be a “wait and see” approach with your body of water.
I’ve been to some areas where there’s a huge perch population and if you catch a 10″ fish it’s 1/100. I’ve also seen rivers and highly fertile lakes where spawning females will hit 14″ and 2.5# plus on the regular.
Either way, a 10-11″ perch might be the best tasting fish that swims in MN. Anything bigger than that and she’s getting a pass from me anyways.
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