Why Target Them
Perch are the reason a slow ice day still ends with dinner. Utah lets you keep 50 a day statewide, and Fish Lake takes the cap off entirely, which is a fair signal about how thick they get there. They are also one of the few fish the guidebook lets you cut up and fish with: dead yellow perch are legal bait at a specific list of reservoirs, Willard Bay and Mantua among them, so check the water before you do it. The record is 2 pounds 11 ounces, from Yuba in 1984.
How To Catch Them
Where: Jordanelle, Fish Lake, Rockport, Pineview, Hyrum
Go-to rig: Drop-shot two small jigs tipped with worm near bottom
Best bait and lures: Mealworms, perch meat (where legal), tiny tube jigs
Best time: Midday is fine - ice fishing staple
School fish. Through the ice, they save the day when trout sulk.
Your Loadout 🎣 Stock Up on Gear
Tackle + Bait Slots
Also works: perch meat (where legal) · tiny tube jigs
The community-pond kit: light rod, small bobber, nothing precious.
Where To Catch Them (9 waters)
Fish Lake · Jordanelle Reservoir · Deer Creek Reservoir · Pineview Reservoir · Starvation Reservoir · Rockport Reservoir · Echo Reservoir · Hyrum Reservoir · Yuba Reservoir
Quick Answers
- How do you catch Yellow Perch in Utah?
- Go-to rig: Drop-shot two small jigs tipped with worm near bottom Best bait: Mealworms, perch meat (where legal), tiny tube jigs
- Where can I catch Yellow Perch in Utah?
- Fish Lake, Jordanelle Reservoir, Deer Creek Reservoir, Pineview Reservoir, Starvation Reservoir, Rockport Reservoir, Echo Reservoir, Hyrum Reservoir.
- When do Yellow Perch bite best?
- Midday is fine - ice fishing staple
- Why fish for Yellow Perch in Utah?
- Because perch keep biting when trout quit. The statewide limit is 50 a day, and Fish Lake has no limit on them at all, so a school under the ice turns a blank day into a fish fry. They are small, easy for kids, and among the best eating fish in Utah.