I’ve read that the White Perch “bites short” - what does that mean?

This species of fish, called the white perch, is often mistaken for white crappie, and is quite a small fish as far as fish go.  Commonly called white perch, they are not perch at all, but members of the bass family.  Known as Morone Americana in the scientific world, white perch are closely related to striped bass.  The world record white bass was only two and a half pounds large. 

As a small fish, these fish have small, fragile mouths.  They tend to bite short, meaning they do not take the whole hook into their mouths when they bite, and are often able to dislodge the hook and escape.  Biting short happens when the hooks are too large or too small, so the trick is to choose a hook that is the right size and type to catch white perch effectively.  If you want a good hook for catching white perch, try a crawler harness and treble rig that has 2 bronze fang hooks and as a stinger, a single #10 trebel hook.  If you tie this snell using #14 clear monofilament line, you will have just made the sound fishing judgment of using the perfect set up to help you catch white perch whenever they tend to be biting short.

There are all types of angler terms out there like this one that can be confusing.  What’s even more confusing as they can mean different things to different people.  Next time you hear a term you are unfamiliar with, be sure to take the time to learn about it like this.  That way your skill is enhanced with your knowledge.

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