Need some help with perch

[Dustoles]

I've located a place I can catch some perch, but my buddy and I can only get a couple or so each from 7ish A.M.-8 A.M, and then that's it for the rest of the day besides some dink perch mixed with crappies and gills.  The perch we get early are GOOD perch for my area (see avatar).   I'm fishing the base of a steep, sloping bank in 19 ft of water (fishing 10-20yds off the shore) and it holds this depth (stays flat) most of the way across this section of the lake.   There is more of a shallow flat on the very opposite side across the lake and a 6-14ft cove 200yds directly down the shore line from my holes.  I've done alot of moving up and down the shore line in the same depth range but can't find them. The perch don't show up on the flasher either...until they come up to eat the jig.   
Isn't it odd these fish we're catching are feeding that deep that early in the morning? Is the cove a more likely spot?   I'm probably asking alot, but I could use some help getting on these fish.  I figured this is the place to find out what move I should make to get on some more good uns...    ANY help is appreciated    thanks!

[ryno]

sounds like ya have a bunch of holes to make.  i would try the shallower flat across the way.  is there any structure like weed beds or bullrushes?  dont be afraid to go shallow and fish some structure.  also if ya can use minnows set up some tipups  while ya run n gun an area jign.  lastly if the water is clear get a camera down there and see what is down there, use a flash lure of some sort to see if any jumbos take a look.  typically for perch the best bite for the big ones is at first day break...perch are bottom dwellers and at this time of day the lil bugs/plankton are making their way back to the bottom to burrow n for the day. this makes for easy pickens for them jumbos....much easier than chasin bait fish around during the day.  good luck n tightlines to ya.

[fiesty]

ditto...try the shoal flat first, drill drill drill...then I'd be tempted to try the cove area....there might be some growth in there....

[Dustoles]

We are going to hit the flats tomorrow AM at O'dark-thirty and see what we can do. Hopefully I can find some weeds over there. Just how shallow could I find perch? I just took a look at the lake map, and the flat seems to fluctuate from 4-8ft then to 12-16ft on the outer edge.   I know where there are some rocky areas near there...is that worth a try?   Thanks for all the tips!

[ryno]

i have caught perch in our shallow sandhill lakes in less than 1foe...20'' of ice above.  normally tho i seek them out in the 3-5 foe areas.  it sounds to me like the ones you are catching at daybreak are some bug eaters so they will relate to that ever famous 'soft sticky bottom' that bugs love.  however perch are carnivorous so they also love meat so they maybe in and around the rocky bottom as well.  if it was me i would start the search on the flats..start with the shallowest flats and work your way out deeper while paying attention to the bottom makeup.  if ya know how to read a vex it will show ya bottom make up other wise a sounder will tell ya by whether it sticks or not.  i would work the sandy and rocky bottom with tipups and minnows while jigging waxies/maggots on the flats that hopefully have the soft sticky bottom.

[Dustoles]

Well, we found the little ones...too bad I'm not into musky fishing .   The bottom in the flat area is alot harder than I had thought, and never was able to locate any weeds there.   Set out tip-ups then just tried to cover as much water at different depths as possible with #2 pimples, 1/12th Macho Minnnow, and misc small jigs.  I've got a couple other ideas though...There are two small rivers that run in to this lake;  closer to the mouths of them should be mud type bottoms. Sound like a perchy spot?  I'll check it out.  
There is alot of timber on bottom of that steep bank we originally fished...might be why they like to hunt in there.
Here is another good 'un from the old hole, taken last week....THIS is the kind I'm looking for  

[fiesty]

nice perch...keep at it....

[Dustoles]

Thanks, fiesty.  We found another good looking area today, but it's infested with tons of dink perch.  Does this mean that is all this location will hold, or could I go back another day and find some big ones?

[Swift]

Often helps to find out what they're eating, check stomach contents and procede from there.

[Shienar]

try fishing your way through the dinks
i have never done it in the winter but i have during the summer
find a good cheap bait and poke as many of them littleuns in the face as you can
lots of activity could bring the big lurkers in

like i said its worked for me in the summer while fishing minnows with the kids
you could watch the minnows get worked up and really turned on the bait it  would attract the dink perch
which would be chased of them selves once they got going good and got the attention of the bigger ones
even had sm bass come in behind the bigger perch to see what all the commotion was about