Congratulations to Adam Mann of Mosinee, Wisconsin, on landing the latest record yellow perch from Lake Cascade. After being weighed locally on a certified scale and inspected by a Fish and Game biologist, Mann was awarded a new certified-weight state record for his 3.22-pound perch that was 16.25-inches long.
Mann landed the monster perch while ice fishing on March 9. As an avid ice-fisherman, Mann and several friends made the long trek to Idaho in search of trophy perch. Although fishing had not been hot that day, they had been finding a some large perch throughout the day.
While he ice fishes three or four days a week back home in Wisconsin, this was Mann's first time on Lake Cascade. He hooked the fish using a tungsten jig tipped with a nightcrawler.
Mann described seeing the giant fish as it came up through the ice.
“It was incredible, I’ve never seen anything like that,” he said.
Lake Cascade has been a bright spot in Fish and Game's fisheries management since it was overhauled in the early 2000s to restore perch populations after they crashed in the 1990s. Fish and Game removed literally tons of predators (mostly northern pikeminnows), and transplanted about 850,000 adult perch to seed the lake. Those initial transplants rejuvenated the lake and restored its famous ice fishing, which has resulted in numerous state and world’s record perch.
Mann's new record of 3.22 lbs topped the previous record of 2.96 lbs held by Skye Coulter, which was set in 2016. Lake Cascade has produced three catch/release records and two certified weight records since 2016, all between 15 and 17 inches!
While conditions can be challenging, the largest perch seem to be caught in February and March, shortly before the ice breaks up.
