The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) continues its efforts to provide anglers across the state with new and better opportunities by recently stocking Grand Lake St. Marys with approximately 100,000 yellow perch.
The stocked perch are approximately 1.5 to 2 inches long and are considered fingerlings. They are expected to take about three years to reach a size large enough for anglers to keep. This is the third year Grand Lake St. Marys has received yellow perch, meaning some perch are likely nearing the appropriate size. More than 208,000 yellow perch have been released in the previous two years, including 108,113 in 2013.
The latest perch stocking will help boost future fishing opportunities currently being provided by the existing population. The long-term goal of this program is to establish a self-sustaining yellow perch fishery at Grand Lake St. Marys, Ohio’s largest inland lake, by creating a naturally-reproducing population. This would eliminate the need for stockings in the future.