JTD,

I'll chime in here as I do quite a bit of surf perch fishing in the summer when I need a change of pace from the steelhead thing.

The central/southern coast beaches of Washington are all superb for finding perch. Now, what to look for. All things being equal, when you arrive at the beach and wonder where to start, your view is a relatively flat, sandy, featurless beach. However, if you look closer down by the surf line you may notice slight depressions or what appear to be little "creek" channels.......these are the places to target. They are alot more pronounced on a low tide and easier to see. Another likely area is either side of a spit in the surf......again, on a low tide.

Pick one and if it doesn't produce, move up or down the beach 50 yards and try again. You seldom have to move far before you find biters.

Good fishing!