Found her floating this morning. Probably One of the biggest I’ve ever seen.

Old age?

Damn...Will it still eat?

😎

Blue heron.

Dang.......where'd you find the strike anywhere matches?

I haven’t seen a heron yet this year so I’m leaning old age also. They were stocked about 5 years ago. Full of eggs as you can see.

We've had blue herons get fish but they've always eaten them.

In the glovebox of my UTV. You can order them online.

Covid 19.

You all heard about this sickness?

Might have been my nephew, he's got a thing about big yellow perch, he sent me this photo yesterday, are any missing?

JeffA;
Top of the morning to you sir, I trust all is as well as can be with you and yours.

My goodness that's a smoker of a perch!!!

I'm going to have to admit I didn't know they could get that big.

They surely don't get that big in our area sir.

I've got to say too that yellow perch are my favorite fresh water fish for eating by a fairly large margin. That's a good meal in the making right there!

Thanks again and stay well.

Dwayne

No hole thru it means no heron. Good looking fish.

He's in Montana and they typically don't get that big there either.
He is on a mission to break the state record which is 2.39 lbs before he turns 11.

Told me he was just a few ounces under with this one.
His father has held the Montana state record since 2006, he's tryin' to knock him outta the saddle.

In a pond, probably oxygen depletion from surface layer warming faster than lower water resulting in stratified water layers and low levels of dissolved oxygen. It's common in the spring.

Egrets. I've had a few.

Isn't the gill area usually redder than normal when they suffocate?

Don't get excited on the strike anywhere matches, I bought a box for my Boy Scouts and they ain't worth a darn.

Agreed. Got the same ones. No lighting on the side of your jeans with those green tops.

The Saginaw Bay our Walleye fishery is quite awesome but some time in about August someone catches a few perch and the walleye gear is thrown out of the boat

I know perch are awesome eating but never understand the hard turn

unless guys just have enough Walleye and its something different
\
Those are some awesome perch pictured


Hank

I didn't know fish that died of natural causes (old age) floated? Maybe in colder water they do?

Had it had a fever?

Cough?

Too much time at wal mart or at the buffet?

Spawning time is usually rough on fish. If no habitat, an egg bound female is pretty vulnerable.

If you are going to try striking them "anywhere", better have the box with you. They aren't like the old version, which would strike off almost any rough surface.

Hepatitus. That fish is jundiced!

They don't strike anywhere, just a few more places than the safety matches. If you want matches that really will strike anywhere, you'll have to pay the money & get hurricane matches.