Silver perch are a tough inland native that punch well above their weight and scrap hard on light gear. They are a favourite in freshwater impoundments and rivers because they will eat a range of baits and lures and are great fun when they switch on.
In Australia, silver perch are mainly found through the Murray-Darling Basin in rivers, creeks, weirs and stocked lakes. They like slower freshwater with timber, rocky edges, weed beds and deeper holes, but they will also roam open water in dams and impoundments.
They are opportunistic feeders, picking up insects, shrimp, yabbies, worms, small fish and plenty of other bits they come across. Most of the time they forage around structure or along the bottom, but they will move through the water column when food is drifting or stirred up.
Tide is not a factor for silver perch because they are a freshwater inland species, so FishCast users should focus more on the other signals. Low light around dawn, dusk and overcast periods usually helps, especially in clear water where fish can get shy in bright sun. Light to moderate wind can improve the bite by stirring food and pushing fish onto banks and points, but strong wind can make dams messy and harder to fish effectively. Small chop is often better than glassed-out water, while bigger swell is not really relevant unless wind is creating heavy surface wash on larger impoundments.
A 2–4 kg spin outfit with light braid or mono is ideal, matched with small hooks, simple running sinker rigs or unweighted baits around cover. Worms, scrub worms, yabbies and small shrimp-style offerings work well, and they will also take small spinnerbaits, blades, soft plastics and hardbodies worked slowly.
Silver perch can make a distinct grunting sound, which is how they picked up the old nickname of grunter in some inland areas.