Tidal Species Questions

[esmd]

I wanted to post several questions to the members concerning species of fish in our area.

I was hoping that by getting input from a variety of general locations, we could better understand these species.

1. Yellow Perch

During the spring of 2011, apparently yellow perch in much of the state appeared in unbelievable numbers. For tidal anglers, this includes a variety of tidal habitats ranging from salt marsh environments to nearly freshwater cypress swamps or small creeks.

My question is, after the spawn, where do tidal yellow perch go during the summer months?

If they are plentiful in a given area during spring, would they move upstream into fresher water or out of creeks into the main river?

If fish move from creeks into larger tributaries, would they then move upstream towards saltwater?

2. Shad and River Herring

For anglers that fish for American shad, hickory shad and river herring, are you noticing more or less fish in your region?

3. Sunfish

Do you notice any patterns to movements and distribution of sunfish species in Maryland's tidal areas?

What species do you catch?

4. Chain Pickerel

Chain pickerel are notorious for being associated with fall, winter and early spring fishing.

Does anyone have success with chain pickerel in tidal locations during the summer?

If so, do you feel they move up or downstream during summer?

Thanks in advance for input. I will add (limited) observations from my region in a separate post.

[jet]

ive never targeted any of those species (used to catch sunfish as a kid with cheese though in ponds) but would like to, any tips?

[esmd]

I didn't want to be the first to put in my $.02 but I don't mind being the second. I hope others can follow.

1. For 2011, I experienced excellent spring fishing for yellow perch. I have never seen so many caught locally in my lifetime. Boats that would normally be out in the Chesapeake Bay entered local rivers to get in on the action.

By June, the fish disappeared. I realize they disperse, but where they go is somewhat of a mystery. Last summer and fall I caught one here and there up river from where they congregate in spring, so perhaps that is a clue. I don't live in the heart of Maryland's yellow perch fishery, so I was hoping others could explain their seasonal behavior better.

2. This was my first season fishing for shad and river herring. I have to say that hickory shad are more addictive than crack and fishing for these critters should be avoided whenever possible. I talked to several local old timers and most claim that herring are in deep decline but hickory shad seem to be increasing in the last few seasons. New coastwide regs are pending for river herring. Apparently catch and release may be allowed by states, but all harvests will cease starting in 2012. Hickory shad and American shad fisheries ere already closed in MD except for C & R.

3. Sunfish are one of my primary targets in local rivers and creeks, mostly due to their excellence as table fare. I find them in tidal areas up to early November. They disappear overnight. They seem to appear in spring as suddenly as they leave. Where they go between November and May remains a mystery to me.

4. Chain pickerel are another species that seems to appear and disappear with no apparent regularity. I have tried moving up and down stream, but for me, these are fish of opportunity. Most are caught together with largemouth bass and as with bass, they are caught for 10-12 months of the season.

[ictalurus]

For yellow perch, I suspect they move downstream into saltier water. I think their salinity tolerance is around 11-13, so that can put them pretty far downstream. They probably don't school up as tight, either. There are some hills and holes in the Potomac near Allen's Fresh that I'd like to try, but I'm usually targeting other species. It wouldn't surprise me if they don't feed as much during the summer because I don't think they tolerate the warmer temperatures well. Yellow perch summer hangouts might be covered in Lenny Rudow's Guide to Fishing the Chesapeake book.

I haven't been shad fishing as much these past few years, but the drought-like conditions of the past 4-5 years really put a dent in the runs in the Rappahannock and the subsequent reproductive success, similar to striped bass in other areas.

I haven't caught many sunfish in tidal areas.

As far as pickerel, I've caught a few in the summer, but I do most of my fishing in saltwater that time of the year. They can handle tolerate quite a bit of salinity (up to 22, which is getting close to seawater) according to various books. I've never found them above 9-11, and I think they prefer it much fresher. Given the seasonal salinity patterns in most tributaries, I would guess they move upstream during the summer. However, many species are willing to tolerate non-optimal salinity if they can find more optimal temperature. Like yellow perch, I don't think they like summer temperatures as much and might be less active.

Anyhow, these are only my educated guesses. I'd really like to know where yellow perch go during the summer. There probably are some old timers that know, but I bet they're tight-lipped.

[Redfish12]

In lakes that I have fished growing up Yellow Perch are a night time catch exclusively. We catch them a lot on small baits thrown out for catfish on flats near deep water. My guess is they spread out, hang in deep water during the day, and possibly feed at night in shallower water. Granted that's not a tidal answer, but I would think they would follow the same pattern.

[J.A. Veil]

I catch loads of white perch during the summer, but only an occasional yellow perch or pickerel (0 YPs and 2 pickerel this summer). I have no knowledge of where the YPs go after their spring spawn.

Concerning pickerel, I have fished many times with the Dean of Chesapeake pickerel fishing -- Virgil Poe. Even as a non-scientist, Virgil knows an incredible amount about the biology of pickerel. He has vast records from the Magothy of hundreds of fish caught, measured, and released.

I once asked him why pickerel were uncommon catches in the Severn and Magothy during the summer months. His thought is that during the warmer weather, there is so much natural food available for serious predators, like pickerel, that it is hard to catch them on a lure. I have never tried using a live minnow in the Severn coves that I fish during the summer months. That is a great winter bait, and might do well in the summer too.

The shad species are anadromous and migratory. They migrate into the upper bay rivers in late winter to early spring. They stay around for a few weeks then move off to other locations. I am not aware of any tidewater anglers that target shad in other times of the year.

[ictalurus]

Virgil may not be a scientist, but he's got pickerel fishing down to a science. I've got a lot of his posts on tidalfish saved in my thread subscriptions. I'd like to learn half of what he's forgotten.

A couple of buddies from up north grew up hearing that pike, pickerel, muskies, etc, lose their teeth in the summer. I know that's not the case, but it's reassuring to hear that it's a common question.

[Redfish12]

Just wanted to add about shad that I have caught them in the Narrows at night during the fall so I think some of them stay in the bay or at least return earlier than just the spring.

[esmd]

A wealth of information has been shared so far and I bet more may be coming.

The references to water flow and salinity might be key factors. In the rivers where I fish, there are definite zones that relate to salinity.

In the lower sections there are several types of marsh grass and saltwater fish present.

The next zone is dominated by pickerel weed and trees begin to appear along the bank. This zone is dominated by catfish, white perch and gar.

Further up, lily pads and cypress trees dominate. This area holds bass, pickerel, sunfish, crappie, catfish (3 species), and white perch.

The 4th zone occurs where the water may rise and fall, but the apparent flow is always downstream. This is where the hickory shad and river herring fishery occurs for 2-3 weeks in the spring. This zone is often murky. I catch few fish in this zone in summer except for a few yellow perch, catfish and an occasional sunfish.

Several of the species in question seem to orient to these "zones" and fish are sometimes plentiful in one area and totally absent just a mile or 2 away.

During 2010 and 2011 we have had dramatic differences in rainfall across the state. It has been exceptionally dry in my area, but other areas are reported to have high water flows from runoff.

One indicator we are seeing here is that blue crabs are present 10-20 miles upriver of their normal range. Also lily pads are dying off in some areas and many of the locals claim that this is from too much saltwater upriver.

Redfish12 might be onto something in terms of yellow perch being specific about when or where they feed. When I was a teen, I fished the same pond very often, spending perhaps 100's of hours each summer on it. I always used artificials and never saw a yellow perch caught.

One day, a friend was fishing and showed me his catch of beautiful perch from the same pond. It turns out he caught every one in a deep hole by fishing nightcrawlers dead on the bottom.

The local crappie exhibit the same sort of behavior, you can be 10 feet away, but if you are not fishing what they want, you might never know they are present.

Here we also see hickory shad in the lower bay and the coastal inlets in summer and fall. They are very hit and miss, but occasionally show up in large numbers, feeding on the surface in the very early morning. They can sometimes be caught but they seem to ignore anything but small shiny jigs or spoons.