When it comes to fresh fish, perch nears the top of the American eating list. A member of the walleye family, yellow perch is great for a fish fry, especially in the Midwest.
If you know where to find perch, you can catch them yourself and host your own fish fry like none other.
You only need a bobber with a worm, although jigs and minnows work well too. Here’s a great tutorial about the best way to hook a worm. Using a bobber and a worm, you can catch dinner for yourself and others. And if you find a school of perch, the action can be non-stop for hours.
Here’s a list of some of the best places for perch lake fishing throughout the Midwest. These are all great places for quality ice fishing. They’re all located near RV parks for your ultimate convenience and fishing adventure.
The RV parks listed will have contact links. They all include basic amenities like family recreation nearby, laundry facilities, a clubhouse and/or pavillion and much more. Call them for specific info and reservations, if needed.
- Saginaw Bay RV Resort, Michigan In all honesty, you really can’t go wrong looking for perch on any of the great lakes, but when it comes to big perch and a lot of them, Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron is hard to beat.
If you’re fishing in Saginaw in the summer, plan to rent a charter — you’ll catch your daily limit almost every time. Follow the tents for ice fishing. You’ll still be able to get into some great perch action, and the upcoming fish fry will be worth it!
2. Cenla RV Park, Iowa Located between the two best perch lakes in Northern Iowa, Big Spirit Lake and West Okoboji Lake, the Cenla RV Park is located on picturesque Center Lake. Anglers Bay on Spirit and both Smith’s Bay and Emerson Bay on Okoboji Lake are where to start fishing, but if you visit the nearest bait store, you’ll be able to find out where the “hot spots” are.
County Line RV Park and Campground, South Dakota — Located near the border of South Dakota and Minnesota, County Line RV Park gives you close access to Waubay Lake where all of the perch action happens. It is S.D’s. largest natural lake and the best jumbo perch fishery in the state. There is a lot of flooded timber, brush, bays, islands and jutting points where the perch schools are located, and some of the perch can go as high as 2 pounds or more.
Veterans Memorial Park, Wisconsin — Veterans memorial park is located directly on Lake Metonga in Northern Wisconsin, and it is one of the hottest perch fishing lakes in all of the state. You can literally park your RV and camp on the lake you want to fish which makes this the most convenient RV park here. Numerous cribs on the western side of the lake are big attractions for perch, and both mayfly wigglers and pieces of night crawlers get the most action.
These four lakes offer up some of the the best perch fishing in the Midwest, whether it’s on the ice or under the warm blue skies of summer. So take a trip and do a perch tour around the Midwest, bag some perch and have some of the finest eating you can imagine.
Don’t have an RV? Rent one through Outdoorsy . Just a few simple clicks to choose a pick-up and drop-off time and make your dream RV adventure come true.
