strategy for perch

[bigmikedogg]

i've tried fishing for perch for years without ANY luck at all.  I get my share of pike with the occasional walleye, but i just can't seem to catch any perch.  just want to know if anyone could tell me where to go and what to do!! 

[rendo]

small shiner minnows for bait. Saginaw Bay has perch as due several inland lakes

[walleyewalt]

banana dikes  on lake erie real good fishing for perch and bullgills

[skulldugary]

Better have a Mt. bike or prepare for a LONG walk to the Banana Dike....My largest perch came from there.....almost 16"

[dale_smith]

honestly fish the boat docks that hookes to lake eire up in the marines plenty of cover and last year i limited on perch like 13-14 times im still eating perch.

[Aquabox]

Use the smallest swedish pimple and minnows.  that always works for me. 

[fisher50]

Perch, more than anything else, seem to respond to pounding the bottom once in a while.  Drop your bait hard on the bottom.  Do it a couple times, fast.  It might just raise a bit of sediment from the bottom, which fish think is a dinner bell.  It does work. 

[reelbigfish]

Big Mike,
  Perch are usually found in sand bottom lakes.  Schools hug the bottom in around 20' to 30' of water and are easier to find with electronics.  The jumbos often run
2' to 4' off the bottom.  I like to tie on two jigs 16" apart and sometimes get a
double header.  Green or perch colors work best tipped with grubs , minnows or wigglers.  February till ice out is better action as they get closer to spawning.
Good luck.




Ted

[USMarine2001]

Big Mike,
  Perch are usually found in sand bottom lakes.  Schools hug the bottom in around 20' to 30' of water and are easier to find with electronics.  The jumbos often run
2' to 4' off the bottom.  I like to tie on two jigs 16" apart and sometimes get a
double header.  Green or perch colors work best tipped with grubs , minnows or wigglers.  February till ice out is better action as they get closer to spawning.
Good luck.

Ted

Though I do agree with the above, I would have to say that I have never dropped a line that deep for perch, I haven't been ice fishing in about 5 years or so, when I used to fish Sag Bay vary rarely did we ever fish out farther than we could see the bottom, always had good luck dropping a shinner down just to the point where I could barely see the shine myself usually no deeper than 15' seemed to work good for me.  They do travel in schools so if you hook one get that line down fast or have another ready to go.

[dale_smith]

Big Mike,
  Perch are usually found in sand bottom lakes.  Schools hug the bottom in around 20' to 30' of water and are easier to find with electronics.  The jumbos often run
2' to 4' off the bottom.  I like to tie on two jigs 16" apart and sometimes get a
double header.  Green or perch colors work best tipped with grubs , minnows or wigglers.  February till ice out is better action as they get closer to spawning.
Good luck.




Ted

Ted, where i fished water wasn't but about 6 feet deep at the very most i fished tight to the bottom, hook the fish and stand up and there on the ice.

[reelbigfish]

  The shallower perch lakes in my area have alot of large schools of smaller fish.
I'd rather have 6 quality fish than a whole bucket full of these.  Thats why I hit
Lakes with deeper water to target a few jumbos.  I've fished on Fletcher's and
thats kind of fun also in the shallows.  What ever works.







Ted

[bigmikedogg]

thanks for all off the tips, now i just gotta get out there and try!

Semper Fi,
Mike

[jasonmeekhof]

Around muskegon/whithall most of the perch i catch are deeper than 15'. In fact, usually we fish somewhere in about 40-50' of water. I usually fish muskegon lake which is 4500 acres and a max depth of about 70' connected to lake michigan and muskegon river.