One little known species in Devils Kitchen Lake is the yellow perch. A small population has existed for a number of years. The source of that population is unknown. More recently efforts of biologists to establish a viable, self-sustaining fishery began in 2014. One stocking from that year and an addition stocking in 2015 has produced 8 to 9-inch fish. If the results of the spring survey of the lake in 2016 indicate, there are plans for another release in 2016.
Yellow perch are basically a fish of cool deep waters. The same habitat in Devils Kitchen Lake that results in a thriving trout and bass fishery may just do the same for the perch. The perch look for a hard bottom and minimal weed growth. They spawn when water temperatures reach the upper 40-s in the early spring. They provide a steady forage base for such larger species as the largemouth bass.
The 810-acre Devil’s Kitchen Lake on Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge near Marion, Illinois is an exception to the other warm lakes of southern Illinois. Stocked each fall with thousands of rainbows, the fish are plenty wild and scattered when anglers venture forth in the spring. Continue reading – https://dongasaway.wordpress.com/2016/02/22/yellow-perch-in-devils-kitchen-lake/