I'm sure your perch you are referring to are yellow perch..they are hard to scale but some FINE eatting..we used to have some in a neighbor pond in Maryland..

If ya catch crappie..please try this recipe..since crappie have very fleshy { Mushy}textured meat

Soak in buttermilk ALL night..
then dredge in your flour and cornmeal mixture..
Fry in hot oil till golden brown..if you can afford it {Peanut oil is best.}

The buttermilk somehow firms the meat up very nice..5 stars..my friend.

I got the recipe from a friend in New York...outstanding.

We would not pay the price for peanut oil the last time..so we used Wesson Oil I believe..I tried Corn Oil..did not like it..left a funky taste on my fish..