tips for big perch

[Perchslayer1990]

Looking for tips on catching big perch out of Middle Thompson?

[Pastor B]

Don't drill any holes and throw a frisbee with your partner for the tournament!  This is the best way I have found to catch massive perch in Middle Thompson!

[Perchslayer1990]

I will have to take that into consideration.

[missoulafish]

Sounds smart assed but its not, fish where they are. If they are going to bite, they will bite just about anything. If they are hugging the mud, a slowly lifted dropper is tough to beat. But if your doing this where there are no big perch....you get the idea.

[PerchAssault]

Minnow heads on a mid size Buck Shot spoon, Gob of maggots on a large demon jig, or a glow jigging Rapala...35 FOW or deeper.  My top three...

Mike
www.aablefishing.com

[RyB]

If they are hugging the mud, a slowly lifted dropper is tough to beat.

  What's a dropper? 

[Pastor B]

Sorry for the sarcasm earlier...it sounds funnier in my head then when it is written!  Missoulafish and perchassault have some really good pointers, and I would add that when you do start catching them look at what they are spitting up when you get them above the ice... It will help with color selection and also type of meat to tip your lure with.  When I fished there a few weeks ago it did not really matter what we threw at them because they were all pretty hungry!  The biggest factor was depth! 

Again sorry about being a smarta$$ earlier.  I do wish you well, and hope you can get into some big ones!!!

[missoulafish]

Dropper is basically some sort of attractor jig( without hooks ) with a short segment of line below it leading to another hook. Can be deadly on perch. A tinny marabou or micro plastic dropper catches perch.
Perch I caught this weekend were gorging on crayfish  that were 1 to 2 inches long along with lots of various bugs.

[fishin7]

If its slow or all your catching is dinks, try a big rattle trap. (When targeting perch i will usually carry 2 poles, one with a big rattle trap and then my normal perch set up) I don't use the rattle to actually catch them but what I've found is that it will at least bring in more fish and sometimes some better sized fish as well to investigate all the commotion, then I put back in my normal perch set up and put it in their face. 

[J_Edwards]

Ditch the live bait and try soft plastics! Slower fishing, usually larger fish.  This requires constant jigging but if they are coming in regularly and looking but not taking it, toss that idea and use a perch eye.

Some of my largest perch this season have came off jigs with no live bait.  The smallest pink firetiger jigging rap and a gold PK flutter fish or lightning spoons with a dropper and a finesse plastic.

[RyB]

Dropper is basically some sort of attractor jig( without hooks )

Oh ok thanks.  I've actually been doing that a bit, but didn't know that's what it is called.  I've got a pretty weak tackle box, so I've been using the always magnificent plain silver Swedish Pimple (with treble hook) for "flash" and below that a small green glow vertical jig with a maggot or wax worm or whatever.  That setup has caught Pike, Perch, Lake Whitefish, and Lake Trout.  All but one of those was on the Swedish Pimple, not the glow hook.  Both were baited.  Someday I'll figure this out.

[MTmatt]

Im using hayle jigs and diamonds on canyon ferry tipped with maggots.  Seems to be working well for perch, eyes and trout.

[Desperado]

 DROPPERS

[Firetrap]

Firetiger Rapala Minnow rap in the smallest size. Or my go to is the Hali yellow and silver with 2 or 3 maggots on the hook. Then use a perch eye if you need.

[Perchslayer1990]

thanks have to try some of those.