While yellow perch are found throughout the State in a variety of habitats, they prefer shallow, weedy protected sections of rivers, lakes, and ponds. Ranging in length from six to 12 inches, yellow perch are easily distinguished from other perch by the five to nine black vertical bars on their yellow sides. The egg masses eventually adhere to submerged vegetation, where they remain until hatching. Yellow perch are most active in the morning and evening. They eat a variety of organisms, including aquatic insects, crayfish, and fish.
Yellow perch are very tasty and are popular year-round, especially with ice fishermen.
When handling the fish, care should be taken to avoid their sharp spines and sharp gill plates. Walleye Walleye, the largest members of the perch family, often exceed 20 inches in length. Although not as widely distributed as yellow perch, walleye are found in every major watershed in New York State, except Long Island. They are important gamefish and provide major recreational fisheries in lakes Erie, Oneida, Chautauqua, and Champlain. Walleye are sometimes called walleye pike, yellow pickerel, yellow pike, or pike perch and have been incorrectly identified as a member of the pike family.