Scoping Jumbo White Perch: How to Catch Suspended Schools with Forward-Facing Sonar

Learn how to use seasonal patterns, top baits, and sonar techniques to consistently catch New England’s elusive white perch.

Once you know the seasonal patterns, top lures, and tips for targeting schools of jumbo white perch, you'll love catching this aggressive biting, good eating fish. | Tanner Graves

Modern forward-facing sonar has transformed once-elusive, nomadic, suspended fish into highly catchable targets, with few species offering a better example of this than the white perch. By understanding their seasonal patterns and utilizing the proper electronics, anglers can consistently locate and catch these fish, enjoying both great action and excellent table fare.

Why White Perch Are a Must-Target Species

The author admiring a nice white perch he just pulled from an aggressive school of similar fish. | Tanner Graves

Here in New England, white perch seem to be just about everywhere including Lake Champlain where I first encountered them a couple years ago. While scanning for shallow, post-spawn walleyes, I saw what I assumed must be schools of extra-large yellow perch on my sonar. Remember, I didn’t even know about white perch at this point. I made a cast with a 3/16-ounce homemade Ned rig and watched an aggressive fish come up out of the school and hit it just two feet from the surface—my first white perch and it was a 14-inch beast!

That fish was the start of a new pursuit. Since then I have refined my approach to systematically chase these schools, consistently catching big white perch.

Seasonal Patterns: Where to Find White Perch

This is a great example of the type of spot white perch use in the spring and fall every year, shown on a Hummingbird Lake Master map. | Kaleb Brown

Late Spring White Perch Locations

In late spring, after the white perch have spawned, I find them positioned on high spots rising up from 14–16-foot flats, topping out at about six-feet deep. They congregate there en route to deeper basins for the rest of the summer.

Summer White Perch Suspend Over the Deep

Once summer is in full swing, I find a lot of white perch suspending over 30–40 feet of water, eating bait. This time of year can be a tricky, but forward facing sonar makes it much easier to target these fish. Utilizing lake mapping to find basins and covering lots of water improves efficiency.

Fall White Perch Move Back Toward the Shallows

In the fall I run a very similar pattern to the late spring. As the cooler months approach, the fish leave their summer homes and move shallower to feed up, getting ready for a long winter under the ice. Along the way, they stop on the same high spots they were on earlier in the year. Those spots, referred to as reefs or shoals, depending on what part of the country you’re in, allow the schools of hungry, predatory white bass to push and surround schools of baitfish for efficient feeding. If the white bass are on these reefs, you know they are there to eat.

Top Lures for Jumbo White Perch

Some of my go-to white perch presentations (Quarter for size reference) | Kaleb Brown

One great thing about targeting white perch, especially while using forward facing sonar, is they’re not shy about biting a variety of smaller minnow and swimbait-style soft plastic lures. Just note the depth in the water column where the majority of the school is suspended. Presenting the bait above the fish is crucial as they always want to feed upwards.

Roboworm 3" Alive Shad rigged on a 3/16oz Buckeye Lures G-Stroll Jig Head

The Roboworm Alive Shad rigged on a Buckeye Lures G-Stroll jig head. | Roboworm | Baits.com

This is my go-to white perch bait. The unique line tie of this head keeps the bait up in the water column which is great when fishing large schools of perch on forward facing sonar.

3.2" Yamamoto Shad Shape Swimmer rigged on 3/16oz Buckeye Lures G-Stroll Jig Head

The Yamamoto Shad Shape Swimmer rigged on a Buckeye Lures G-Stroll Jig Head. | Baits.com

Try this if the fish are a little more aggressive or you just want an optional presentation. The swimming tail means you can keep this bait moving forward a little quicker to cover more water.

Rapala Ultra Light Rippin’ Rap or the Bill Lewis Tiny Trap

The Bill Lewis Tiny Trap and the Rapala Ultra Light Rippin’ Rap. | BassProShops.com | Rapala

When this bite is on, it’s my favorite! Yo-yo these tiny lipless crankbaits through a school of jumbo white perch and hang on!

Try White Perch Fishing

The next time you're questioning what species would be fun to target, or what fish would be great for dinner, just check your state regulations and give white perch fishing a try!