Lake Erie anglers fishing in Pennsylvania waters will be allowed 30 yellow perch and six walleye per day for 2012. On April 20, 2012, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) released its 2012 Lake Erie yellow perch creel limits.

Earlier in 2012, PFBC adopted new regulations establishing adaptive creel limits for walleye and yellow perch based on the annual quotas established by the Lake Erie Committee, which consists of fisheries managers from Pa., Ohio, N.Y., Mich., and Ontario, Canada.

A recent assessment showed that both yellow perch and walleye populations remain stable. Based on this, the creel limits are being held at the 2011 limits.

source:  PFBC

Management of Lake Erie's walleye and yellow perch fisheries has undergone several important changes in recent years. The Lake Erie Percid Management Advisory Group (LEPMAG) was established by the Lake Erie Committee in 2010.

The group facilitates discussions among state and provincial management agencies on Lake Erie and stakeholders and provides input to the Lake Erie Committee concerning management of the region's walleye and yellow perch stocks.

LEPMAG participants include Lake Erie Committee members, biologists, recreational and commercial fishers, and personnel from the Quantitative Fisheries Center at Michigan State University.

Each year, the Lake Erie Committee recommends a total allowable catch for walleye and yellow perch. Total allowable catch represents the number or weight of fish that can be caught by sport and commercial fishers without putting the stocks and fisheries at risk. The individual agencies implement the recommended total allowable catch.

The Lake Erie Committee comprises fishery managers from Michigan, New York, Ohio, Ontario and Pennsylvania. The committee’s work is facilitated by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, a Canadian and U.S. agency on the Great Lakes.

For more information, visit the Lake Erie Committee online at www.glfc.org/lec

source: Lake Erie Committee

Spinnerbaits are excellent lures for catching bass, crappie, bream, yellow perch and other freshwater fish, especially during cool weather when fish are sluggish.

Most panfish spinnerbaits use a special metal arm and jig combination. One end of the arm is equipped with a swivel and a silver or gold blade. The other end of the arm is equipped with a snap for connecting to the jig.

These simple designs have several advantages:

 - Their modular construction allows anglers to easily change soft plastic lure bodies or jig heads.

 - Most models can be purchased with or without a jig.

 - Simple spinnerbaits catch a wide range of species, including largemouth bass, black crappie, bream sunfish, rock bass, yellow perch, and chain pickerel.

 - Anglers can choose from a variety of soft plastic bodies, marabou jigs or add bait strips.

 - Due to their design, spinnerbaits are less likely to get hung up on limbs or other underwater obstructions. 

 - Spinnerbaits can be worked very slowly, allowing sluggish fish time to react.

- Pulsating spinner blades create pressure waves as well as bright flashes which attract fish in murky water.