Species #68 — White Perch

Species: White Perch (Morone americana)
Location: Potomac River, Maryland
Date: July 16, 2015

Why are they called White Perch? Well, White Bass is already taken. Though they’re in the Moronidae family with White, Yellow, and Striped Bass, they’re far from stupid. They should be called “Ass Pains” because they’re nothing more.

***

Fishing the Potomac River had long been a dream of mine, but finding access in and around Washington D.C. proved almost impossible.

When I did find access, it was on National Parks land with Lewis and Clark in the name, but I honestly don’t remember the specifics and a five-minute Google Maps search came up empty, so here we are.

Anywho, I fished from a public pier that was rife with the type of people who usually find solace at Denny’s or Walmart or the DMV. People who kept Pumpkinseed three to four inches long like it was nothing.

Probably 20 people share the pier with me, but since the Potomac is so shallow and muddy in this area, I didn’t really have a choice. I saw a few Pumpkinseed caught, then a Blue Catfish (an invasive that has been destroying this fishery) and finally a White Perch. It wasn’t mine, but I held out hope.

I had tons of bites and even got a fat Pumpkinseed, but the White Perch just kept nibbling and not getting hooked.

Eventually, persistence won out, and I got my own little six-inch White Perch. I tossed it back and proceeded back to my car, hoping to try some of the nearby streams for anything else.

#SpeciesQuest // #CaughtOvgard

Read the next entry in #SpeciesQuest here: Species #69 — Brown Irish Lord.