How to weed out the small ones?

[eriksat1]

I still have a few more days of walk out ice, and the perch are going nuts. I have been getting some nice ones but have to go through catching a ton of 6"er's to get a good one. Should I try to go to a bigger bait to weed out the small ones? I did switch to plastics and it helped some. I was using a 5mm wolfram with a piece of purple plastic and a crappie minnow head was working good but maybe I should try bigger? A spoon of some sort maybe? There is so many perch I had to turn the flasher off, they block up the screen and I can't even see my jig. They start attacking it half way down.

[fishermantim4]

use perch eyes on a spoon if it legal. the dinks tend to not eat the eyes here. or use a bigger jigging rap

[Drewski121]

eat them all DD

[jacksmelt71]

big minnow jigged a couple feet above the rest of the school. the big ones will come up to get it. 13-14incher will grab a 3in. shinner easily. my biggest a 16in. was caught on a 5 1/2in. smelt set  for salmon just under the ice in deep water.

[iceman260]

Move the perch seemchool by size.

[slipperybob]

There are several methods that I will try.

Sometimes I go all metal lures, bare hook.
Upsizing my lure.
Move my lure faster, so the little ones will give up on it.
Fish higher up the water column.
Move to a different hole.

[Hando]

big minnow jigged a couple feet above the rest of the school. the big ones will come up to get it. 13-14incher will grab a 3in. shinner easily. my biggest a 16in. was caught on a 5 1/2in. smelt set  for salmon just under the ice in deep water.

I second this one on lakes with a large population.  I have noticed that when I pulled the bait up higher in the water column the size of my catch increased.  My guess is the dinks prefer the security of the cover on the bottom.  However, I also support the fact that Perch school up by size too. In those cases I move until I find and catch bigger fish. Then I stick to a few holes in that specific area.

[fishermanna82]

use heavier lures to get to the bottom of the school faster so the little ones do not have a chance at it