Fishing for small fry<br/><span class='hl2'>What many call &#8216;perch' are actually sunfish &#8212; and they're great for beginners and advanced fishermen</span>

DEEP FORK RIVER – It's been a long time since I did any "perch-jerking.”

As a kid, I can remember on occasion catching a basket of perch for supper, or what I thought were perch.

Since I've started covering the outdoors for The Oklahoman, the experts at the state Wildlife Department have educated me on a few things.

For one, what many Oklahomans identify as perch, or bream, are not really perch. They are sunfish. And in Oklahoma, the most popular species of sunfish are bluegills, redears and green sunfish.

"Perch is a family (of fish),” said Greg Summers, fisheries biologist for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. "Walleye and sauger are in that family.”

Bluegills are often called perch in Oklahoma and redears are referred to as "shell crackers,” Summers said. And green sunfish are often called "goggle eyes” by anglers, he said.

Why are sunfish commonly called perch in Oklahoma?

Summers theorizes the colloquialism may have originated in the northern states where there is a yellow perch that is a popular panfish.

"Anytime you were fishing for something small (in northern states), you were fishing for perch,” Summers said.

It's as good as theory as any.

Whatever you call 'em, they can be quite fun to catch, something I rediscovered recently on an adventure with a trio of fly fishermen.

Oklahoma City attorney and 89er Chapter Trout Unlimited member Jeff Hartmann, an avid fisherman, bought an "Oklahoma Bonefishing” trip at this summer's Oklahoma Wildlife Federation auction.

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