Instead of throwing smaller yellow perch back on the days when schools cannot be located or convinced to bite, I routinely take home fish that are not in the ideal 8- to 10-inch range that I prefer.
I have cleaned thousands of perch under 8 inches and have settled on 7 inches as the smallest size that produces a worthwhile fillet. For those with less practice filleting, one option for processing small perch is to simply “hog dress” them.
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