A Quick Guide to Florida's Rare Freshwater Game Fish

I remember the first time I caught a yellow perch in Florida. Bright red fins, yellow and green bodies, voracious appetite for the rosy-red minnows from a nearby bait shop—this Dead Lakes population represents the southernmost outpost for a species that lives across the northern United States and into Canada. The Dead Lakes in Florida’s Panhandle, due north from Apalachicola, are in a rural area but aren’t hard to get to, yet most Florida anglers have no idea such a beautiful (and delicious) species can be found in the Sunshine State.

Florida’s rivers and lakes are loaded with gems like this. Let’s get to know a few of them.

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