Perch

Perch Lake is located approximately 4 miles northwest of Ivanhoe in Lincoln County. It is a productive, 224-acre lake with a maximum depth of 18 feet. Perch Lake has a history of providing good walleye fishing. Numerous sizes of walleyes have been stocked over time. Many of the stockings have been evaluated with marking techniques and have revealed both stocking and natural reproduction have made important contributions to the walleye population. The recruitment of young walleyes is likely being negatively affected by predation and competition from other fish, especially large walleyes, northern pike and largemouth bass. In recent surveys, walleye gill net catches have been dominated by large fish (>20 inches), with few smaller walleyes present. Lower Mississippi Strain (Lake Sarah) walleye fry were first stocked in 2024 and then again in 2025 in an effort to develop a genetically "superior" self-sustaining population. This strain has been found to do well in southern Minnesota lakes. Fall night electrofishing was conducted to evaluate the survival of stocked walleye fry. No young-of-year or yearling walleyes were observed in 2025. Future stockings may include fingerling and yearling walleyes in an attempt to increase the population.

Perch Lake is in western Minnesota approximately four miles northwest of Ivanhoe in Lincoln County. It is a productive prairie lake with a surface area of 224 acres and a maximum depth of 18 feet. An unimproved gravel access is present along the lake's east shoreline. Parking is restricted and anglers must park along the road some distance from the access. This 2024 survey was conducted to collect routine fish data using gill nets, standard survey trap nets and small mesh trap nets. These data can be compared to historical standard and targeted survey data from Perch Lake. Perch Lake has a diverse game fish community including walleyes, northern pike, yellow perch, bluegills, largemouth bass and black bullheads. The abundances of these species have substantially fluctuated over time, likely due to changes in habitat, namely increases in water clarity and vegetation abundance. Although walleyes have experienced some natural reproduction, spawning success has generally been poor, and the population has been maintained by stocking. Walleye fry are routinely stocked as well as advanced life stages, when appropriate, to supplement the population. A moderate number of walleyes were caught in 2024, similar to the previous survey in 2021. They ranged in size from 8 to 28 inches, averaging 19 inches. Yellow Perch numbers were moderate and lower than the previous several surveys. The majority were 5-7 inches with 20% in the 8-9.5-inch range. Northern pike numbers were moderate as well but have been increasing. The 2024 pike catch was the highest since the 1994 survey. Pike averaged 24 inches and the largest was 32 inches. Pike grow fast in southern Minnesota and typically do not live beyond five years. Perch Lake is in the southern northern pike management zone where two are allowed in possession and they must be a minimum of 24 inches. Bluegills were caught in low numbers and their average size was only 5 inches. Largemouth bass were not sampled effectively with the gear used in this survey, however several large bass were caught and anglers have reported good fishing for them. Black bullhead and black crappie numbers were low in the 2024 survey. The next Perch Lake survey is planned for 2027.

Perch Lake is located in western Minnesota approximately four miles northwest of Ivanhoe in Lincoln County. It is a productive prairie lake with a surface area of 224 acres and a maximum depth of 18 feet. An unimproved gravel access is present along the lake's east border. Parking is restricted and anglers must park along the road some distance from the access location. A targeted survey of the nearshore fish community in Perch Lake was conducted July 12-13 and August 4, 2021 by Ortonville Area Fisheries staff. Ten stations were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 15-foot seine. Nearshore sampling captured 8 native species of fish including Iowa Darter, which was the only intolerant species observed. Other species were Fathead Minnow, Green Sunfish, Hybrid Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch and Black Bullhead. Data from this targeted nearshore survey is combined with data from a standard gill and trap netting survey (June 2021) to calculate a Fish-based Index of Biologic Integrity (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. The FIBI score is composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics and indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. The 2021 FIBI score for Perch Lake is near the impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Minnesota River (Yellow Medicine) Watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Walleye, Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Black Crappie, and Yellow Perch in Perch. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

Minnesota DNR records list public access for Perch. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for the launch type and directions before you go.

Perch has a maximum depth of 16.2 feet and a mean depth of 6 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Perch is from 2024.

No invasive species are on record for Perch in Minnesota DNR data. Always clean, drain, and dry your equipment to help keep it that way.