Common, stable, with better size than most Wisconsin lakes.

Yellow perch

Perca flavescens

Netting size structure sits in the 88th percentile statewide. Fish over 10 inches are on the table here.

What the DNR measured

Length range (main lake, netting): 5.0 – 10.3 inches
Longest in the system: 12.6 inches, in the Shawano Outlet
Electrofishing catch rate: 9.3 per mile, 50th percentile statewide
Fish 8 inches and over: 0.7 per mile, 67th percentile
Size structure (PSD, netting): 56, which is the 88th percentile statewide
Growth: Both sexes reach 8 inches in 4 to 5 years. Average.

What that means on the water

Stable since 2006. The Outlet Channel is the size hot spot in the system, with a PSD of 48 and the longest perch the crew measured. Anglers report Shawano holds large numbers of good perch if you know where to look.

Where to find it

Fish weedy and brushy nearshore water in spring, at 45 to 50 degrees, when perch spawn.
Go to the Shawano Outlet for the biggest fish.
On ice, drill in 4 to 5 feet of water in the flooded timber.
Work the sand flats next to weed beds in summer.

How to catch it

Small minnow on a plain hook or a jig, right on the bottom.
Perch move in schools. When you find one, stay put.
On ice, a tungsten jig with a waxie, or a small jigging spoon.

Spots on this lake for yellow perch

4 of the 10 named areas hold yellow perch. Tap a marker for the reason.

Spot	Why it holds them
The west basin	The widest and deepest part of the lake, running just under 3 miles north to south. Only 6.16% of Shawano Lake is deeper than 20 feet, and most of that sits here. Winter crappie hold in the basin and summer walleye slide to the edge of it.
North shore flats, off the county park	Sand bottom under weed growth, with the biggest launch on the lake a cast away. The DNR electrofished this shoreline and counted 123.3 bluegill and 85.3 pumpkinseed per mile.
Shawano Lake Outlet	The channel that drains the lake into the Wolf River, and the best-scoring water in the whole system. Largemouth size structure of 73 against 49 in the main lake, and the longest yellow perch the DNR measured at 12.6 inches. Spring runs of walleye, pike and musky pass through it.
Washington Lake	Small, weedy and connected, northeast of the main lake. Crappie density hits the 84th percentile statewide and perch the 88th, but the panfish size structure is the weakest of the five waters. Treat it as a numbers stop.

All 10 spots and the season-by-season pattern

Records and rules

Season on Shawano Lake: Open all year. The ice bite is the one most locals plan around.
Limit: Counted as panfish. No minimum length, 10 per day.
Wisconsin state record: 3 lbs 4 oz
Where the record came from: Lake Winnebago, Winnebago County, 1954
Registers as a trophy at: 15 inches, DNR live-release standard