You don't even really need to have a boat to catch perch...Its quite simple too. During the summer, they can be as shallow as about 5 feet, but you should focus around 10-30 feet in late spring and summer. I always just use a small (5'6") light action rod to make the perch seem bigger, and just pick up a can of worms at a store and drop one down and you can almost always get a fair share of perch.