When late-autumn temperatures drop significantly, the yellow perch and pickerel season fires up across the Chesapeake region, but particularly so in the western shore mid-bay rivers. In my home waters of the Severn River, I braved a very windy November 24th and hugged a couple upriver coves/creeks to fish exclusively for both species.
Traditionally, anglers eye late-January through early-March to target yellow perch during their spawn, but November and December can be equally good, if not better, fishing for them. The fish will congregate in the creeks, especially around cover and dying grassbeds, to feed on abundant minnows and eventually begin moving upriver to stage ahead of the spawn. If you catch one, chances are there are more where you’re fishing.
What’s fun about fishing these areas and habitat is the chain pickerel will likely be hovering there as well. Pickerel absolutely love grassbeds and tree laydowns as ambush cover, so fishing over and around them with lures that tickle the foliage but don’t get hung up is key. Most of my outings at this time of year produce both species and the action is usually consistent.
For this chilly and wind-blown outing, I knew exactly what style of fishing I’d be employing—covering a vast amount of shallow, near-shoreline water by searching with inline spinnerbaits. The Mepps brand makes a version of their Aglia spinners called the “Streamer,” which features a single-hook dressed as a fly-streamer—almost like a classic Lefty Deceiver. Their largest offering is a 1/4oz lure with a #3 blade and several color variations. I particularly like gold blades with a brown streamer, but all variations produce. The flash of the blade coupled with the profile of the streamer perfectly mimic the forage in our local rivers.
The weight of this lure calls for a light spin-casting rod and reel. I have a couple 6’ lite, fast-action St. Croix Triumphs paired with my trusty Pflueger President reels (size 20). These Presidents are two decades old and, in my opinion, were made with higher quality components and care versus the Presidents sold today. I also use this combo for my spring shad fishing.
Upon launching my 14’ McKee Craft, I first motored to a cove, about half of which was leeward and the other fully windward. The wind was blowing steady from the west at about 15 knots, with plenty of gusts in the 20s. It was a risky first move, but this cove had produced excellent perch and pickerel during the last two seasons, so it was hard to resist. I worked the entire shoreline—a mix of grass flats and some docks—by casting and quickly retrieving the streamer across the shallow water. The leeward side was easier to position and cast. The windward side required constant repositioning and careful drifting. Casting was more difficult but doable. The windward side was also where most of my catching had occurred in past years. This time around, no takers—no signs of fish. So it was on to spot number two.
This is search fishing. And on windy days, there are predictable creeks that offer protection for the angler and cover for the fish. So, I visited a well-known creek dominated by lots of tree laydowns, some patches of dying grass, a couple pocket coves, and few docks—a very natural creek, so to speak. Within the calm creek, I was able to deploy the trolling motor and carefully fish the creek’s perimeter. Lots of casting with a steady retrieve would pay off and locate fish. First a couple solid pickerel in the 19-20” range. These fish feel great to reel in on a light setup.
Continuing along the shoreline and casting around laydown after laydown also found the yellow perch I was after. In fact, a jumbo perch hit the spinner and felt like a decent pickerel initially. But then those candy corn colors showed when the fish surfaced and I knew I had a very good specimen on the line. This fish measured approximately 14”—a Maryland trophy-sized yellow perch! Excellent.
Having fished through the entirety of this creek and catching good fish, I finally exited to try fishing an expansive stretch of grassbeds that were dying down. These beds are just outside of the creek I had fished. The water was quite shallow in the flats, down to 1.5’ or less, so maintaining boat position along the bed edge in slightly deeper water (4’) and casting into the shallows was key. Again, because the streamer is only a 1/4oz, it can be worked in very shallow water without getting hung on the vegetation. And sure enough, I was able to connect with a couple more solid pickerel lurking in the grass—one of which measured 21”. Short of trophy size (24”), but a good hookup nonetheless.
I was able to use that westerly wind to make a good drift along this stretch of water, but with it being relentless, I decided to pack up and head home to the boat ramp. Having caught a good number of quality fish, I felt this trip was a success. Hopefully, for the next outing I’ll catch more favorable conditions (less wind, please) and fish a different creek or two, abundant with docks and deeper water—perfect for a different style of winter fishing…jerkbaits!
See y’all on the water again, real soon!
