suckers or perch

[icenut_]

I would like some opinions on suckers vs perch fro northerns and musky. been paying a dollar per sucker and when jigging I have been catching 4 to 7 inch perch. do you think the perch would catch as many northerns or musky as the suckers would and if not why?

[deadsmelthead]

Ive caught 4 fish over 20lbs ,and a dozen or so in the 15-20lb range, using dink perch.. Ill also add every good sized northern ive opened up has had a few perch in its stomach... They're a great bait in my opinion

[river_scum]

perch are great bait!

[HybridHunter]

I always have at least one perch out there for pike. Not so much for tigers. Creek chubs and suckers for tigers.

[cfisch84]

I've noticed that perch are true wimps when it comes to putting a hook in them for bait. they don't last long at all. suckers and crappie seem to be the toughest.

[northernnyice]

I've noticed that perch are true wimps when it comes to putting a hook in them for bait. they don't last long at all. suckers and crappie seem to be the toughest.

No biggie. Cut there swiim bladder and hang em dead.

Dead perch work fantastic for pike. Lost one of the biggest pike of my life at the hole on an 8" dead perch. My buddy's buddy got a 42" this year on a small perch as well.

[Gills-only]

Caught them on small perch, take scissors and cut dorsal fin off, so when swallowed, they will not spit it out!!

[deadsmelthead]

I've noticed that perch are true wimps when it comes to putting a hook in them for bait. they don't last long at all. suckers and crappie seem to be the toughest.

Never had a problem with them, infact i usually have to clip a pectoral fin because they will trip the flag through out the day from trying to swim away.

Caught them on small perch, take scissors and cut dorsal fin off, so when swallowed, they will not spit it out!!

whats the dorsal fin got to do with them spitting them out ? they eat perch anyway...

[Neil McCauley]

I've noticed that perch are true wimps when it comes to putting a hook in them for bait. they don't last long at all. suckers and crappie seem to be the toughest.

Not usually in my experience...last week cut half the fins off a 8" dink and it lasted 5 hrs, so I cut the belly with a knife a few times thru and thru, and cut most of the tail off too. Damn thing was still strong at 10 hrs. At the end of the day instead of taking it home I let it go, felt it earned it and it swam right away, with no tail fin! Kind of felt awful to have mangled it but maybe it survived.

[Gills-only]

Never had a problem with them, infact i usually have to clip a pectoral fin because they will trip the flag through out the day from trying to swim away.
whats the dorsal fin got to do with them spitting them out ? they eat perch anyway...

            I know they eat perch, when they run  with it, and spit out to "scale"  the fish then swallow, less chance of dropping the bait, learned that from a old timer that used to catch the hell out of them.  We only used single hooks back then!

[deadsmelthead]

Scale ? i have no idea what you are talking about lol...

[Gills-only]

http://www.ask.com/wiki/Northern_pike?o=2800&qsrc=999&ad=doubleDown&an=apn&ap=ask.com              The second paragraph in the feeding explains what I was talking about, less chance of "dropping" the bait.

[HybridHunter]

http://www.ask.com/wiki/Northern_pike?o=2800&qsrc=999&ad=doubleDown&an=apn&ap=ask.com              The second paragraph in the feeding explains what I was talking about, less chance of "dropping" the bait.

I read that whole article and I'm still not sure what you mean by " scale ". I don't believe pike to do anything different with a perch as they would any other prey. I've examined my baits, including perch, and it has been quite evident the pike took the bait head first. Have I seen bait that was " T " boned? Yes. I think it's all relative to the fish and the size of the bait on how they initially strike. I also believe that the reason behind most " dropped " baits are due to the angler waiting for the fish to " turn the bait " and not setting the hook soon enough. Again, this is only my hands on experience pike and tiger muskie fishing. I'm not stating anything I've read in a book.

[Gills-only]

OK scale=turn!!  Less chance dropping with no dorsal

[HybridHunter]

OK scale=turn!!  Less chance dropping with no dorsal

I completely disagree with a dorsal fin having anything to do with how a pike reacts to a bait. If you were concerned with retrieving a partially swallowed bait from a caught fish to re use it, then I could understand why you would want to remove the spiny dorsal on a perch bait.

[Gills-only]

That's what I have always done, per advice from a old timer, it works for me, no I'm not worried about using again!!

[HybridHunter]

That's what I have always done, per advice from a old timer, it works for me, no I'm not worried about using again!!

I'm curious, are you using them live or dead?

[Gills-only]

Live

[pikeaddict]

I use perch all the time.   I cut the sides of them to get them bleeding a bit, or poke them to pop the swim bladder.  I always trim the lobes of their tail off, so they don't trip the flag.  I have had good luck fishing them both alive and dead. Sometimes when fishing them dead I wont pop the swim bladder, and shove them under the ice away from the hole.