North Marina Early Perch Search 10-23-24

[TubeDude]

Had no unrealistic expectations of loading up on perch.  But figured that maybe the cooler water temps might bring in a few.  That’s all it takes to get me on the water.  Launched at the north marina a bit before 7:30.  Still darkish.  Getting lighter later.  But Daylight Savings Time will end pretty soon.  Air temp a balmy 45…warming a bit over 20 degrees by noon departure.  Water temp 56…creeping up to 57 by mid day.  The funky weather forecast for the next few days should help drop the water temps a few more degrees.

 
First plan was to scope out the inside of the marina and try for some action there.  But the slow reports and my better judgment sent me out the marina early…with plans to return if I had no action outside.  Found nothing worthwhile on “TV” and even less on my line for the first half hour.  Worked several spots that usually hold perch…when they are in.  Saw a few promising anomalies on the screen but got no love on anything I presented.
 
Right at 8 am my blue-silver flig rod went bendo.  As expected, it was a “whiskery perch” and not the golden kind with dark vertical bars.  Surprisingly good tugs in the cooling water.  Within a few minutes I caught a second one…this one on the “pistachio” color flig and minnow setup.  I managed to find two more cats but no perch over the next hour.  By the way, first fish came from 14.5 feet.  Others from 15 to 17 feet.  Scattered.
 

I had already killed the skunk and had some good tugs…and I had my allotted 2 take-home kitties in my basket.  So I figured that even if the marina did not reward me further I had already had some enjoys.  To the marina.
 
Motored around looking for likely spots to drag some fligs or dunk some vertical jigs.  Saw a few small balls of shad and a few larger marks that could have been almost anything.  But since none of them accepted my offerings I din’t prove or disprove nuttin’. 

 
When I got to the back corner of the marina…the SW corner where they have the fun stuff in the summer…I started to get some inquiries on my minnow sweetened fligs.  Some were “perch pecks”…or maybe small cats.  Anyhooters, they rattled the rod tip without getting stuck.  Then my rods began going bendo and line started pulling off the drag as the kitties got busy with me.  Over the next hour and a half I brought 7 more cats to net…with one 23” and one 24”.  All fought pretty well.  And all were released to play another day. Water depth in the marina was mostly on either side of 11'.  And I got bites and hooked fish in almost all areas I fished.  Seems to be a few kitties in that part of the lake.
 

Last week the best color was pink tiger…with a couple on blue silver.  This week I only got one on pink tiger but got several on the pistachio color with which I replaced the pink...and which got no love last week.  That's fishing.  Only got a couple on blue silver this week.
 
Although I didn’t put any perch in the basket, I would bet good money that some of the shapes I saw on sonar were perch.  And I had a few bites that were pretty perchlike.  Oh yeah, I did have one perch on until I tried to lift it into my tube.  Then it forgot how to hold on.  I would have been maybe 10 inches.  Better perchin’ is still ahead.

[Jmorfish]

tks for the pics and report TD...always appreciated..don't know if I'll be perch jerkin' 'til the ice season, but I did take some advice and added a little more spice to my catfish frying technique, cooked a bit longer than usual, and it turned out way better than before..so I can see why you're good with taking a couple home with you on your outings...good eating..

[doitall5000]

Thanks Pat I was beginning to think the gates must be locked up. Great post.

[SkunkedAgain]

I ended up driving past about ten yesterday and wondered if that was your rig at the ramp...looked like 5-6 others had the same idea... Beautiful day I was wishing I could have pulled in and played... thanks for the report... Later J

[TubeDude]

tks for the pics and report TD...always appreciated..don't know if I'll be perch jerkin' 'til the ice season, but I did take some advice and added a little more spice to my catfish frying technique, cooked a bit longer than usual, and it turned out way better than before..so I can see why you're good with taking a couple home with you on your outings...good eating..

Always happy to learn of new cat consumption fans.  Those fish get a bad rap.  But they are almost always available for some tugs, they fight better than most trout and...as you and others have discovered...they are great eating.  However, as you have discovered, they do take a bit more cooking than a lot of other fish.

Cats have become my wife's fave fish...even over walleye.  One of the ways she likes them best is deep fried in tempura.  I trim off the yellow fat on top and bottom of the fillets...and slice off the red flesh.  Then I cut the fillets into small 1" pieces...for faster and more even cooking.   

I make the tempura batter with 50/50 flour and cornstarch...usually about 1/2 cup each.  Add a teaspoon of baking powder, mix and put in the freezer for a couple of hours before mixing and using.  You can add salt, pepper and any other seasonings but we usually just season as we take them  out of the pan.  I make the batter with cold beer.  Add a bit at a time and stir until you have a batter.  You can also use cold water or seltzer water.  Roll the fillet pieces in the batter and drop them into hot peanut oil...375 temp is good.  Let cook for about 6-7 minutes...turning with tongs to insure complete cooking.  Season and eat.  Of course this method works with other fish too, but when you do it with catfish you will never guess it's not a "more glamorous" species when you eat it.  

EDIT:  Always better when the batter is ice cold.  Thinner is better than thicker, since it puffs a bit when cooking.  Also, one other ingredient...not essential but a good addition...add a beaten egg just before using the batter.

[Jig-fisher]

That is a good report and a great recipe.  That tempura batter recipe is nearly the exact one that I use. It is my family's favorite and the last cats I caught were prepared the same way. But we used them for crispy fish tacos. I thought I cooked way too much, but everyone just kept taking an extra piece of fish here and there. In the end there wasn't much left over at all.

[TubeDude]

That is a good report and a great recipe.  That tempura batter recipe is nearly the exact one that I use. It is my family's favorite and the last cats I caught were prepared the same way. But we used them for crispy fish tacos. I thought I cooked way too much, but everyone just kept taking an extra piece of fish here and there. In the end there wasn't much left over at all.

Good story.  Reminds me of the first time I did a family fish fry for a large group of fambly members in Idaho.  When the arrivals asked "what kind of fish"...and I said catfish...they began making excuses for not eating any.  Some said they had already eaten...but had showed up to be sociable.  Others said they only ate trout (remember, this is Idaho).  But I started cooking my way through a large bowl of catfish fillets and the wondrous smells filled the small meeting hall they had reserved for us.  One by one, hesitant folks discreetly wandered by and "sneaked a piece" to try.  Then they brought their plates and took several cooked fillets.  At the end of the evening some were even nibbling on the cooling leftovers...or asked if it was okay to take some home.  Bottom line:  every piece of fish was eaten and there were a lot of folks who enthusiastically admitted they liked catfish better than trout.

[Jig-fisher]

That's a great story and rings very true. Not a lot of native Utahns have tried much outside of trout,  especially the older generation, and many have never eaten catfish. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a family that fished for many different species. Mostly trout, but Willard crappie and cats (before shad), Pineview crappie and bullheads, Bear River catfish trips, smallmouth bass at Pineview and Flaming Gorge. We kept and ate all types. My wife's family had never eaten much fish before I married into the family. But I have them over a couple of times every year for a fish fry. They always ask what kind of fish, but never hesitate to try anything and everything.  Nothing is ever left over.

[TubeDude]

That's a great story and rings very true. Not a lot of native Utahns have tried much outside of trout,  especially the older generation, and many have never eaten catfish. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a family that fished for many different species. Mostly trout, but Willard crappie and cats (before shad), Pineview crappie and bullheads, Bear River catfish trips, smallmouth bass at Pineview and Flaming Gorge. We kept and ate all types. My wife's family had never eaten much fish before I married into the family. But I have them over a couple of times every year for a fish fry. They always ask what kind of fish, but never hesitate to try anything and everything.  Nothing is ever left over.

You have been around long enough to have also seen the "perch revolution".  In former times, virtually all Utah tanglers were troutaholics and every fish without spots or red slashes was "trash fish".  When I first fished Utah back in the early 1960s...after living and fishing in California...I was appalled at seeing the locals disdainfully throwing big perch up on the bank.  I had learned long ago that all panfish were good eats...as well as providing good sport when the spotted fish were being finicky.  

In the early 1980s I was conducting little seminars at some of the Anglers' Inn stores to show how to fillet and cook non-trout species.  After a lot of requests for recipes...which I typed out on a typewriter and had copies made...I put together a small book "Fetchin' and Fixin' The Fishes of Utah"...with sections on each of the species then common...including the warm water fishes like perch, bass, walleyes and catfish.  It had a lot of easy recipes and I'd like to think I helped steer a few folks away from trout only.  


I have one good story that kinda sums up how a lot of people discover how good non-trout fishies can be.   Before we moved to Arizona about 1984 I had a conversation with the elderly neighbor across my back fence.  Told him I was going fishing at Deer Creek...and hoped to bring home a big batch of perch.  "PERCH?" he scoffed.  "Those is trash fish."  Not wanting to start a neighborly war, I diplomatically suggested that if he ever tried them he wouldn't be so negative.  Backing down a little, he admitted that he had never tasted them...but wouldn't know where to even start for fixing any.  TA-DAAAAA.  I offered to bring him some fillets and coating for frying some if he would just try them.  DONE.  

The rest of the story is that I handed him a bag of nice perch fillets and another bag with some dry coating mix over the fence.  Told him to shake up the fillets in the bag of mix and then fry them until browned on both sides.  The next morning I was picking strawberries from my planter when he hollered at me over the fence.  "Hey.  There was something wrong with those perch."  Expecting the worst...maybe a leftover bone in the fillets or something...I asked what was the problem.  "You don't know when to stop eating them." he replied.  After that he was always a happy recipient whenever I donated some more perch fillets.

[Jig-fisher]

Oh yes, the perch were also included. Mostly ice fishing at Hyrum in my teens. I hooked many friends on perch through the ice during those years. When i had kids, they also loved it as the action was pretty consistent. Lots a great memories with my kids when they were young fishing perch, crappie and bluegills in the local waters such as Hyrum, Pineview and Mantua. Doug Miller also had a hand in the boost of popularity with his annual perch party. Only got to go to one, but very fun up at Pineview.

[JazzyM]

That's a great story and rings very true. Not a lot of native Utahns have tried much outside of trout,  especially the older generation, and many have never eaten catfish. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a family that fished for many different species. Mostly trout, but Willard crappie and cats (before shad), Pineview crappie and bullheads, Bear River catfish trips, smallmouth bass at Pineview and Flaming Gorge. We kept and ate all types. My wife's family had never eaten much fish before I married into the family. But I have them over a couple of times every year for a fish fry. They always ask what kind of fish, but never hesitate to try anything and everything.  Nothing is ever left over.

You have been around long enough to have also seen the "perch revolution".  In former times, virtually all Utah tanglers were troutaholics and every fish without spots or red slashes was "trash fish".  When I first fished Utah back in the early 1960s...after living and fishing in California...I was appalled at seeing the locals disdainfully throwing big perch up on the bank.  I had learned long ago that all panfish were good eats...as well as providing good sport when the spotted fish were being finicky.  

In the early 1980s I was conducting little seminars at some of the Anglers' Inn stores to show how to fillet and cook non-trout species.  After a lot of requests for recipes...which I typed out on a typewriter and had copies made...I put together a small book "Fetchin' and Fixin' The Fishes of Utah"...with sections on each of the species then common...including the warm water fishes like perch, bass, walleyes and catfish.  It had a lot of easy recipes and I'd like to think I helped steer a few folks away from trout only.  


I have one good story that kinda sums up how a lot of people discover how good non-trout fishies can be.   Before we moved to Arizona about 1984 I had a conversation with the elderly neighbor across my back fence.  Told him I was going fishing at Deer Creek...and hoped to bring home a big batch of perch.  "PERCH?" he scoffed.  "Those is trash fish."  Not wanting to start a neighborly war, I diplomatically suggested that if he ever tried them he wouldn't be so negative.  Backing down a little, he admitted that he had never tasted them...but wouldn't know where to even start for fixing any.  TA-DAAAAA.  I offered to bring him some fillets and coating for frying some if he would just try them.  DONE.  

The rest of the story is that I handed him a bag of nice perch fillets and another bag with some dry coating mix over the fence.  Told him to shake up the fillets in the bag of mix and then fry them until browned on both sides.  The next morning I was picking strawberries from my planter when he hollered at me over the fence.  "Hey.  There was something wrong with those perch."  Expecting the worst...maybe a leftover bone in the fillets or something...I asked what was the problem.  "You don't know when to stop eating them." he replied.  After that he was always a happy recipient whenever I donated some more perch fillets.

Pat. If you ever decide to reprint this book I’ll happily pay for a copy. 

Merl

[TubeDude]

[quote pid="1158038" dateline="1729787939"]
Pat. If you ever decide to reprint this book I’ll happily pay for a copy. 

Merl
[/quote]
Not likely.  But using modern technology I did make copies and put them on PDF files.  What else.  Here it is for anyone masochistic enough to want to read it.  Just cut me some slack.  This was written 40 years ago.  Utah fishing was different then.  I was younger and less experienced...both in fishing and writing.  But if nothing else it will maybe provide a few good recipes and a "blast from the past".

[Cowboypirate]

Just when I think I may have a copy of all that you have drafted with pen and paper ya go toss a full book at us. I know what I am reading during my breaks today on the ranch

[TubeDude]

Just when I think I may have a copy of all that you have drafted with pen and paper ya go toss a full book at us. I know what I am reading during my breaks today on the ranch

You can read too????  Hope ya enjoy it.  Lotsa throwback rememberies.  As we often say "If I knew then what I know now..."  Heck, I'm glad just to be able to remember ANYTHING.

[Cowboypirate]

Just when I think I may have a copy of all that you have drafted with pen and paper ya go toss a full book at us. I know what I am reading during my breaks today on the ranch

You can read too????  Hope ya enjoy it.  Lotsa throwback rememberies.  As we often say "If I knew then what I know now..."  Heck, I'm glad just to be able to remember ANYTHING.

I try to read at least a couple times a day. Normally those big red octagon signs. But I am going so fast I can never figure out what they say

[JazzyM]

Hahahaaaa holy moly. My hard drive is going into overload !
Thx much. Something to treasure.

[TubeDude]

Hahahaaaa holy moly. My hard drive is going into overload !
Thx much. Something to treasure.

Be careful what you ask for....