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Best yellow perch lakes in New Jersey

9 New Jersey waters hold yellow perch, 9 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. The premier eating panfish. Roams soft-bottom flats and weed edges in schools — a daytime biter.

1. Spruce Run Reservoir — 76 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
2. Mercer County Park Lake — 17 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
3. Clinton Reservoir — 47 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
4. Deal Lake — 9 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
5. Cranberry Lake — 16 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout
6. Weequahic Lake — 9 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
7. Cozy Lake — 24 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie, Bluegill
8. Lake Topanemus — 8 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
9. Greenwich Lake — 33 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish

When to fish yellow perch in New Jersey

• Spring 3–12 ft — Spawning runs to shallow weeds and gravel — find the school, stay on it.
• Summer 10–30 ft — Schools slide deeper to soft-bottom flats and deep weedlines.
• Fall 12–35 ft — Jumbo perch pod up on deep basin flats feeding on invertebrates.
• Winter 15–35 ft — A premier ice-fishing target — deep mud flats, small jigs.

Also in New Jersey: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best northern pike lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best muskellunge lakes · best common carp lakes

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