Perched on the Edge....

Perch flies ready to rumble!

So I am not always chasing huge fish. Right now I am on a perch kick... I really want to get both my Master Class yellow and white perch. I actually hate to put them as "yellow and white perch" because the yellow perch, Perca flavescens, is the only perch of the two while the white perch, Morone americana, is actually a bass. Technically speaking, the white perch is the only true bass in the lake (largemouth and smallmouth are actually sunfish). Of course the white perch is also a fairly recent addition to the lake's ichthyofauna, getting here sometime in the 1980's via the Champlain Canal (that is the thinking and it seems correct).  

Enough of my fish geek-out there.... so I need to get both that are over 13" for the Master Angler Program. I have a spot picked out and I think it could be good!  I am all set to go with these additions to my fly box:

On the advice of Ken Capsey, I tied up a couple of Brook's Blondes. He has done really well with this classic fly so I thought I would give it a go myself. Of course I had to DP it up a bit with a tung-cone and some eyes....

Buggers are a staple in the perch box. Simply put- they work.

Chartreuse and white Clouser minnow. Perhaps the greatest fly pattern of all time. Thank you Bob. And for you guys who hit Champlain routinely with the long rod- if you don't have some of these with you then you won't get as many fish as you could....

Not for perch. I know that there are a few sheephead where I am heading to. So, ya, I might end up with a bigger fish in the boat too. Fingers crossed.