Secerts of catching big perch this time of year.

[thebigwiggle]

Hey everyone, I have already been on the ice several times this year and I have has a few excursions where I got some big perch. The first tip is to know the body of water where you are fishing or study lake maps. On the lake maps, you want to look for big mud flats these our the area where you see the contour lines on the maps spread apart. Look for areas that are flat from 28 - 42 feet. These mudflats are where the perch are feasting on wigglers, freshwater shrimp and worms that live in these flats. Have you ever caught perch on these flats and they cough of bugs that I have mentioned? Well, these are the flats you need to look at for your next fishing adventure. I also see many fishermen that are afraid to fish big baits for these perch especially in deeper water. Sometimes I use a 2 pole system. Where I have one pole rigged up with a rattle trap, yes the same rattle trap you use in the summer for bass fishing, just to call the fish in then have a another pole ready to go with usually a dropper rig or heavy tungsten lure to get the bait down fast to the fish with spikes or mealworms on the hook, I prefer meal worms over spikes for bigger perch.
Now I am not saying these the only way to catch monster perch but it could improve your day if you give it a shot.
Good luck.

[Champlain Islander]

All I use are bare bibbits (no bait) in combination colors like hot orange, chartreuse, white with bloodline and green/ brown when they are eating snails and fresh water shrimp. I fish with a lite weight soft tip 30 inch rod with 6 pound trilene sensation in solar. Water depth ranges from 6 feet to 30 averaging 12 to 16 for most of my trips. I personally don't care to go for deep water perch even though there are usually some big fish. The size we look for are normally commercial large 8" to 11" with many jumbos ranging up to a pound and a half when you are on a large school. When you find a school they take the bare bibbit fished near the bottom really well. When the bite is on quite a few per minute can be caught because the bibbits are barbless and dunking the fish in a bucket or on the ice releases them. Great for fishing with gloves on a cold day because you don't have to handle the fish. That style of fishing is common on the northern end of Champlain.

[ice fiend]

I’ve never had a day like that ever fishing yellows only whites

[OldChumBucket]

I agree with what’s been laid out so far when tracking down the school. Mud flats in deep waters on the edge of slopes, or in the middle of a big bowl has worked well for me.
In deep water 40-50’ I like to use a jig with some weight that will sink fast and slam the bottom to create interest. Most Hali jigs are great for that tipped with 3-4 spikes. Once they start coming off bottom, if the interest is there, they tend to meet your jig before it has a chance to get to bottom.
Once the bite slows down pick up and move to another hole in the same area—your flasher will tell you if it’s even worth dropping a jig if the school is on the move.
If it seems like you’re not getting bites on the hali, I’ll swap to a different color hali before downsizing to a smaller bibbit with a glow tube. In deep water it can take awhile for a smaller jig to sink down. The attention span of perch is about as long as an unbridled fart, so a heavy jig is my first choice.
Happy huntin’ 

[thebigwiggle]

All I use are bare bibbits (no bait) in combination colors like hot orange, chartreuse, white with bloodline and green/ brown when they are eating snails and fresh water shrimp. I fish with a lite weight soft tip 30 inch rod with 6 pound trilene sensation in solar. Water depth ranges from 6 feet to 30 averaging 12 to 16 for most of my trips. I personally don't care to go for deep water perch even though there are usually some big fish. The size we look for are normally commercial large 8" to 11" with many jumbos ranging up to a pound and a half when you are on a large school. When you find a school they take the bare bibbit fished near the bottom really well. When the bite is on quite a few per minute can be caught because the bibbits are barbless and dunking the fish in a bucket or on the ice releases them. Great for fishing with gloves on a cold day because you don't have to handle the fish. That style of fishing is common on the northern end of Champlain.

awesome sounds like a great technique

[bootstrap]

i like the medium size jigging spoons with single hook. they seem to really call in the perch. i like to have a chance of catching some of the bigger species of fish at the same time. i use the barbless bibbit a lot too. that is all my GF uses because she does not like to touch the fish, works out well.

[Champlain Islander]

Hard to understand what the attraction is to a painted chunk of lead. Color does matter and seems to change with the area fished and bait they are chasing. A simple 1/2 chartreuse and hot orange bibbit always catches perch no matter where I have tried. The white bloodline with chartreuse tail is also really good when they are on smelt or minnows coming out of the deep water broad lake. When you are on a big school with good fish they often hammer it on the way down. The bibbit also seems to attract other types of fish including bass, northerns, lakers, lake whitefish and ling. Dead sticking isn't the way to fish them though. It has to look like it is alive and trying to get away.

[Theshad]

I always have at least one rod with a barbless bibbit on it, just in case I get into a good bite, real time saver to get back down the hole to them when you can just knock them off on the ice.

[troutcrazy]

I'm a fan of the big, barbless bibbit!  This is for catching a lot of perch fast, with maximum efficiency, when they're in an aggressive mood. 

The old-school fishermen who taught me to use it said not to tip it with spikes, in order to keep the dinks off.  However, last year I found an ongoing bite that wouldn't take a bibbit without a spike or an eyeball.  It's entirely possible that I was doing it wrong.

I like to have a second rod on hand, rigged with a finesse presentation like a 1/16 oz tungsten jig and a spike or a plastic.  That's because if the perch aren't biting, you can use this to get them stacked up.  Then quickly switch to the bibbet and continue slaying.  Everything has to happen fast.

BUT the big barbless bibbit broke my heart!  I lost a couple big whitefish.  So now I use a #3 Swedish Pimple with a single hook and spikes if I'm fishing deep water in Champlain.  No treble hooks!  Pain in the neck.  It seems like everything will bite a pimple.

Nice tip on the mudflats at depth, Bigwiggle!

[thebigwiggle]

Where do you guys find bibits these days? I know down in the area where I am around they don't exist. I have some big deep water perch ones but don't use them that often. I am very curious about using them now without tipping with spikes just to see if works, I actually never heard of that.

[Theshad]

The bay store always has them, north country bait and tackle in Swanton, martins in highgate. They always have a ton of them. I have a crap ton my dad and I made years ago, and painted.