Species

European perch

A striped shoaling predator with a spiny dorsal fin, found almost everywhere and an ideal fish for getting started with lure fishing.

Perca fluviatilis

Photo: George Chernilevsky, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain, adjusted to 3:2

Spawning: March to June (general guide, varies by region)
German Red List: not threatened
Typical method: Lure fishing (spinning)
Top bait: Inline spinner

Plan a day fishing for European perch

How to recognise it

6 to 8 dark vertical stripes on a grey-green body
Two dorsal fins, the front one with sharp spines
Reddish pectoral and pelvic fins

Easily confused with: Young zander look similar, but have long fangs, a slimmer body and no red pelvic fins.

How to catch it

Methods: Lure fishing (spinning), Drop shot, Float fishing with worm or bait fish

Baits: Inline spinner, Twister tail, Small soft plastic shad, Lobworm

Active during the day, especially good from late summer into autumn, when the shoals hunt small fish.

Habitat and food

Very adaptable: still and slow-flowing waters, also the brackish water of the Baltic Sea. Loves structure such as posts, drop-offs, sheet piling and plants.

When young, zooplankton and insect larvae; larger perch mainly hunt small fish, including their own kind.

Size and age

Usually 20 to 40 cm and rarely over 1 kg; fish over 60 cm are very rare (Wikipedia). FishBase: heaviest published weight 4.8 kg, maximum age 22 years.

Protection and rules

Conservation status: German Red List (freshwater fish 2023): not threatened. IUCN: not threatened (Least Concern, 2022).

European perch: closed season and minimum size by German state

These rules apply in Germany only. Fishing in the UK, the USA or elsewhere? The local rules apply there (link below).

Baden-Württembergclosed season 20.04. to 10.05. only in some waters
Berlinno minimum size, no closed season
Bremenminimum size 15 cm · closed season 01.02. to 15.05.
Hamburgminimum size 10 cm
Mecklenburg-Western Pomeraniaminimum size 17 cmminimum size 20 cm (coast)

From the official state fisheries regulations, retrieved 2026-10-11. All rules by state

Check the rules

In Germany, closed seasons and minimum sizes are set by each state and can be stricter for single waters. All German rules by state, with the legal source. Outside Germany, the local rules apply: licence and agency by country.

In the kitchen

Lean flesh with few bones, one of the most popular freshwater food fish; classically served as a pan-fried fillet.

Sources (3)

Last checked 2026-10-18. Found a mistake? Write to [email protected].

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