I'm confused......

[New River Rat]

.......the title of the board is "Crappie - Perch". I've always lumped crappie in with sunfish, and a perch, is well, a perch. This is being called a "perch".

To me, this is a perch.






Am I missing something?

 

[AtticaFish]

Hmmm.... may just have to split the two up as this is not the first time this has been mentioned. When i first set the forum up i put them together in the same board mostly because of the technique i personally use to catch both species is similar after spring when they move out in deeper water. Most of my local lakes are pretty clear water with little structure, the majority of crappie stay down by the bottom in open water until dusk. Drop shot rigs or deep set slip bobbers will catch both species.

I may be wrong, but thinking that first pic you posted is actually a redear? I am no redear expert though. The 2nd pic is a yellow perch - very familiar with those tasty critters. Then there are white perch which are very close in appearance and habits to white bass up on Lake Erie. There seems to be some differences in the name game for 'perch' geographically too...... have heard some from the southwest generalize ALL bluegill/sunfish as perch.

 

[AtticaFish]

Oh yeah, almost forgot.......... used to catch some kind of fish down in Florida at my grandparents retirement community that the locals called Nile Perch. They were big, aggressive and strong fish that loved eating small bluegill. They were a hoot to catch, even on my grandfathers lighter saltwater tackle!

 

[Radtexan]

We've givin Russ some grief too about the mighty crappie having to share a board with the perch too

And he's right down here and in the south,perch is kinda catch all phrase.I know its not species correct,but bluegill,redear,shelcrackers,warmouth and the like all seem to get thrown into a "perch" category..

 

[quivira kid]

All I see is fish taco material..... but the mighty yellow perch, they are some fine table fare!

 

[CropE]

I agree....split them up.

 

[papaperch]

Seems to me when I was stationed in San Antonio TX. If it weren't a catfish or a bass it were a perch. I always thought each should have its own domain. But my user ID would show my definite bias. I love to catch and eat crappie. But catching and eating perch is almost a religion to me.

My favorite expression when eating perch caught thru the ice. " if the good Lord made a better tasting fish he done kept it for himself ".

 

[CropE]

Crappie are King of freshwater ! !
I fish mainly saltwater ...but when I go freshwater fishing I am after Crappie.
Crappie vs Perch .. no comparison in my book.

 

[StumpHunter]

We have a lot of white perch in our lakes now, they were took off the game fish list a couple years ago because we need them thinned down.. Getting to the point where you can catch some nice size perch. The yellow perch are very good! Don't see as many of those but now many target them around here.

 

[Tommy Skarlis]

I was fishing a tournament on the Mississippi River out of Quincy, IL years ago and to say the least - it was a really TOUGH bite due to flooded river, not alot of walleye to begin with, etc. Locals we were fishing with kept complaining about two to three pound perch. I said they were great eating and they just kept looking at me like I was out of my mind. Long story short - when I got to the spot they were talking about Freshwater Drum - aka: sheepshead.

I find it somewhat frustrating when people don't call a specie by it's proper name - but I am getting over it as I mature!

 

[AtticaFish]

There is at least one (oddball that i know of) on here that calls them Gasper Goo. :exclamation: They are fun and can test your tackle but can be annoying when not the target species.

...they were talking about Freshwater Drum - aka: sheepshead....

 

[CropE]

Down south where I am from ...gasper goo...rock head & fresh water drum are all the same.

Sheepshead is a saltwater fish aka Convict Fish.

 

[AtticaFish]

Ok, now i know two oddballs. I have caught saltwater sheephead down in the Gulf with my geandparents when i was young. Looked like they had a mouth full of human teeth. If i remember right, they were delicious! I bet the list of fish with multiple names that cross one another in different geographic areas is quite long.

 

[CropE]

I dont mind being called an Oddball - after 53 years of saltwater fishing...LOLL

A sheepshead is a saltwater fish - also known as a Convict fish, due to the black & white colors...very good eating and have a daily bag limit..

A Rock Head - Gasper Goo - or Freshwater Drum is a totally different fish ...

and know ya know..

 

[AtticaFish]

Not sure i have ever heard the name rock head for them either. I know several people who will pick up their ear stones (not sure what the proper name is) and carry them around. They call them 'lucky stones' since they have a pattern on them that resembles the letter L. Have even seen a necklace made of them.

We used to keep a few sheeps' during spring to fertilize the garden.

 

[Ron Don]

Umm I've been called a GooRoo on many occasions! You know you're fishing close to the bottom when you start catching a bunch of em. Man they thump just like a big ole 3 lb crappie but when u can't move them... You realize it ain't one!

Hey does it matter that most of north La calls crappie a white perch? And then you got them coonies down south callin em Sacs!

 

[eyecrosser]

Post where you will but Walleye, Sauger, Perch are all in the Perch family. Basses and your assortment of Bluegill, Redear, Longear, Warmouth, our beloved Black/White Crappie, etc... all in the Sunfish family.

 

[quivira kid]

Umm I've been called a GooRoo on many occasions! You know you're fishing close to the bottom when you start catching a bunch of em. Man they thump just like a big ole 3 lb crappie but when u can't move them... You realize it ain't one!

I've cussed many a 2-3# drum when they came to the surface instead of mister paper lips!

 

[eyecrosser]

I agree QK, those drum will thump a jig like a big 'ol crappie or walleye and fight to the death. Had an ol boy tell me one time,"Don't cuss'm, where there's drum, there's walleye" and that for some odd reason has held very true over the years.