working at the lake James this week i decided to go in a lil early to fish. got to the dock around 6.30 and fished for about an hour and a half. managed to catch a coons tail (Yellow Perch), 16.5 inches and this fish was fat, the biggest one i have ever caught. when i got home and looked at the state record and seen the picture i know i missed a good opportunity to own a state record if it wasn't big enough it sure was close.

Wow, that is one nice yellow perch!  I understand they are one of the best fresh water fish to eat.

On High Rock Lake, we call them racoon perch I guess because of the stripes look like a coon tail. We considered them a nuisance becuase they ate the minners we were using for crappie.  They are very popular in the "black waters" down East where they reportedly grow much larger. HRL perch are small and bony. A big un might have more meat.