Yellow Perch

A small schooling panfish (Perca flavescens) native across much of Canada — the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence, and from Nova Scotia west to the Prairie provinces, north to the Mackenzie River. It is not native to British Columbia, where it has been introduced and is treated as an invasive threat to salmonids while still supporting popular warmwater fisheries such as duck lake in the Kootenays.

Key points

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Identity: A member of the perch family (Perca flavescens), recognizable by vertical dark bands on a brassy yellow body.

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Range: native across much of Canada — the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence, and Nova Scotia west to the Prairie provinces, north to the Mackenzie — but not native to BC (source). In the Kootenays it is established in duck lake, connected CVWMA waters, and parts of kootenay lake priority waterway profiles 2026 07.

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Tactics: Readily caught using light tackle or fly rods with small baitfish streamers, nymphs, or wet flies fished near submerged structures and weed lines.