Golden perch (yellowbelly)

A deep-bodied perch with a small head, a concave forehead and a rounded tail. Olive-bronze to golden on the back and sides, often with a bright yellow belly (hence "yellowbelly"). Large eyes and a big mouth.

12–18 in and 1–5 lb.

About 2½ ft and over 50 lb (23–24 kg), but fish over 15 lb are rare.

Shrimp, yabbies, small fish and insects.

Lives around snags, rock bars and drowned trees in warm, often muddy water. Swims long distances upstream after floods to spawn.

Found from South-East Australia & Tasmania and Queensland & the Great Barrier Reef. The Murray–Darling Basin, the Lake Eyre basin and the Fitzroy–Dawson system, plus many stocked lakes in NSW, Victoria and Queensland (Copeton, Keepit, Burrendong and many Queensland impoundments).

The Murray–Darling Basin, the Lake Eyre basin and the Fitzroy–Dawson system, plus many stocked lakes in NSW, Victoria and Queensland (Copeton, Keepit, Burrendong and many Queensland impoundments).

3–40 ft.

5–25 ft, around timber and drop-offs.

Spring and summer (October to March) are best; slow in cold water.

Daylight hours, especially early morning and late afternoon.

No tide in fresh water; rising or steady water levels after rain are usually best.

Warm, stable weather; a rising river after rain switches them on.

Live shrimp, yabbies, worms and small grubs.

Lipless crankbaits, deep-diving hard-bodies, spinnerbaits, blades and soft plastics.

6–7 ft light-medium spinning or baitcasting rod.

Size 1–2/0 hooks.

8–15 lb braid.

12–20 lb fluorocarbon.

Cast or troll deep divers along timber and rocky drop-offs, or hop blades and lipless cranks near the bottom; in lakes, bob live shrimp beside standing trees.

Summer evenings when the water is warm and still are the best time for golden perch on lures.

Catch and release: wet your hands, keep the fish in the water when you can, and release it quickly. Use circle hooks and a dehooker.

Good eating when fresh.

Bleed and ice it right away. Fillet, then remove the skin and any dark bloodline.

Good, white and mild; skin fish from muddy water. Pan-fry or bake.

Sharp dorsal spines and gill covers — hold the fish firmly with a wet hand or towel and use pliers to remove hooks.

Minimum sizes (around 30 cm) and bag limits in each state; some lakes have extra rules. Check current rules. A freshwater licence or permit is needed in NSW, Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania, and a Stocked Impoundment Permit for Queensland's stocked lakes; the Northern Territory needs none. Each state sets its own bag limits, size limits and closed seasons.

Keep only what you'll eat and release the big breeders; wet your hands, support the fish's belly and get it back in the water fast.