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Best yellow perch lakes in Ohio

12 Ohio waters hold yellow perch, 8 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. Lake Erie — Central Basin West — 77 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Channel Catfish
2. Lake Erie — Central Basin East — 92 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Channel Catfish
3. Lake Erie — Western Basin — 48 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Channel Catfish
4. Pymatuning Reservoir — 33 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Bluegill
5. Grand Lake St. Marys — 14 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Saugeye, Crappie, Bluegill
6. Lake Erie — Sandusky Bay — 19 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Crappie
7. Indian Lake — 13 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Saugeye, Crappie
8. Mosquito Creek Lake — 26 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
9. Findlay 2 Reservoir — 27 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Bluegill
10. Ferguson Reservoir — 39 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
11. Findlay 1 Reservoir — 23 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Bluegill
12. Metzger Reservoir — 35 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish

When to fish yellow perch in Ohio

• 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 Ohio: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best saugeye lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best muskellunge lakes · best white bass & hybrids lakes · best flathead catfish lakes · best blue catfish lakes · best freshwater drum lakes · best common carp lakes · best steelhead lakes · best rock bass lakes

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