SMITH LAKE

[justjig]

I am just trying to get help. I have been trying to catch a perch out of Smith Lake. Can anybody tell me what to use and where to fish.

[catfish16]

what are you useing for bait ?

[fish to live]

Go out front of eagle tree find the deep spots, look for old holes, strait out from boat ramp find the 6 ft deep spots,

Use s small jig like ratfinky to any nice small jig, use cheap tackle pike will cost you $$


The Eagles snag is to the right about 350 yards from ramp

[justjig]

Using one to two maggots

[justjig]

What color is the best

[missoulafish]

 

[Houdy66]

X2 haha my thoughts exactly. Some people just can't figure it out on their own.

[justjig]

I forgot there is people out there that are just perfect that doesn't need advice from anybody.

[missoulafish]

Nope, no ones perfect bjt worrying about one vs two maggots?

[justjig]

So any input on what color to use out there.

[missoulafish]

Stick with Whiptails jigs, they catch:)

[justjig]

Thanks

[missoulafish]

I've never seen a perch be finicky about color.
But big perch can be smart. Good luck!!! You'll get them!!

[PerchAssault]

Here is the issue as I see it Justjig...there is a Perch Assault tournament tomorrow on Smith Lake...postponed from Dec 12th...

The fishing for Perch right now on Smith is as tough as it ever has been, it's been fished and fished and fished since about the 5th of December.  Not too many guys or gals (especially those that are invested in the tournament) are going to be very forthcoming right now, whether they are suspicious that you are a team that just wants info without putting in the time and effort, or sharing that "one" thing that may win them the tournament this weekend...

It is a TOUGH TOUGH bite out there right now...you almost HAVE to use a camera to keep the pike AWAY, and hook those extremely lite biters...

I usually give a report afterwards and if folks share what worked for them, I in turn share that in the report...

If it was ME fishing (instead of just being the promotor) I would be using Petes Lead Maggots, or a Northland Larva Fly....as to WHERE?  thats anybodies guess...

Hope that helps some and may explain a little reluctance of most to just open the notebook AT THIS TIME...

Mike
www.perchassault.com

[tiptoe]

I agree with you Jig, the details often make a difference. 
With perch, generally I'm not afraid to load up a jig with multiple maggots.  I usually will keep 2 rods ready.  One with an attractor like a buckshot or whiptail, and another with small teardrop or rocker type jig.  My experience is that when the perch are biting they are biting.  When they are not, they are not and you just keep trying different recipes until you find a match or they turn on again. I only have only made a few outings to Smith Lake, but the pike there seem to compete with the perch for your jig and i haven't found a way to avoid them...so bring plenty of lures. My favorite perch colors are gold, red, and chartreuse.

[Houdy66]

I apologize for making myself sound "perfect", as I surely am not. I ask for advice all the time on here. I was only trying to say that no matter what advice people give, the best thing you can do is spend tons of time on the ice and see what works for you. I've caught perch on nearly every single jig in my tackle box, with multiple combinations of maggots/plastics/corn/hot dogs/you name it. It all depends on if you can find the feeding school. Punch holes until you find them, and keep moving with them when they leave. Look for deep water changing to shallow with weed beds on it. And transition is a good thing, especially with weeds nearby. Again, I apologize for coming off so rude, I did not mean to. I just think people need to put in the time and effort for themselves rather than asking for every little detail.

[MatCat]

Smith lake, after you leave the boat ramp go east or to the right if you are directionally challenged, there is a trough about 200 yards down the lake, about 50 yards wide, starts about 50 yards from the shore, depth is going to range from 4-6 feet, try to stay over 4 feet if you can.  On the shore you'll see a fence come down to the water, work farther down the lake from that, you'll see the "eagle tree" tall dead one, fish several hundred yards from either side of that.  maggots with any kind of chartreuse glow spoon will work.  If you are going tomorrow, go early so you can carve out a spot before the derby starts.  The perch roam so if you have a house it's easier to see when they come in and be ready.

[SpitzoMT]

Great post H66. But I'm sorry, I just don't see where you should be apologizing for anything. The number of people joining this forum the past couple years for the sole purpose of gathering information just amazes me. <<Another power of the internet I suppose !! Most have post counts of 1-20 & all their posts are questions wanting every specific detail about certain bodies of water. They really make no contribution to this forum whatsoever. If a person enjoys ice fishing enough to join this forum, wouldn't you think they'd enjoy it enough to put in a little effort & figure it out on their own. Heck, most of them don't even know how the forum works because they won't participate enough to find out. I keep telling myself that how one wishes to participate in the forum is his/her choice, but to me it just seems ridiculous to join if ones only participation is asking questions. Not trying to be a jerk with this post. Just my opinion from what I see happening here everyday. Everyone stay safe out on the hardwater !!

[Houdy66]

Great post H66. But I'm sorry, I just don't see where you should be apologizing for anything. The number of people joining this forum the past couple years for the sole purpose of gathering information just amazes me. <<Another power of the internet I suppose !! Most have post counts of 1-20 & all their posts are questions wanting every specific detail about certain bodies of water. They really make no contribution to this forum whatsoever. If a person enjoys ice fishing enough to join this forum, wouldn't you think they'd enjoy it enough to put in a little effort & figure it out on their own. Heck, most of them don't even know how the forum works because they won't participate enough to find out. I keep telling myself that how one wishes to participate in the forum is his/her choice, but to me it just seems ridiculous to join if ones only participation is asking questions. Not trying to be a jerk with this post. Just my opinion from what I see happening here everyday. Everyone stay safe out on the hardwater !!

Thank you SpitzoMT. That is exactly what I was thinking when I made my original post. This year has been especially tough seeing all the questions from new guys. Definitely starting to get under my skin haha

[JohnMcN1]

Houdy and Spitzo, could I have your GPS coordinates of where you will be this weekend?

In all fairness, I can some what understand where the original poster was somewhat coming from. I didn't grow up ice fishing, and only picked it up a few years ago. I had A LOT of questions when I first started. However, I totally agree with you Spitz and Houdy getting out on the ice is the way to combat a lot of questions. Make mistakes (hopefully don't get too wet in the process), get skunked occasionally, try new techniques and lures, try new lakes and areas. I'd rather be out fishing and catch no fish than be stuck at work.

[SpitzoMT]

Thank you SpitzoMT. That is exactly what I was thinking when I made my original post. This year has been especially tough seeing all the questions from new guys. Definitely starting to get under my skin haha

You're welcome & I hear ya !!

Houdy and Spitzo, could I have your GPS coordinates of where you will be this weekend?

In all fairness, I can some what understand where the original poster was somewhat coming from. I didn't grow up ice fishing, and only picked it up a few years ago. I had A LOT of questions when I first started. However, I totally agree with you Spitz and Houdy getting out on the ice is the way to combat a lot of questions. Make mistakes (hopefully don't get too wet in the process), get skunked occasionally, try new techniques and lures, try new lakes and areas. I'd rather be out fishing and catch no fish than be stuck at work.

Exactly.....A little effort goes a long way !!
And John.....I'll PM you those gps coordinates later !! LOL

[justjig]

I have actually been out there for three weeks straight and was just getting upset. That is why I was asking for some input. I do go out there and spend a lot of time trying to get them.

[JohnMcN1]

I have actually been out there for three weeks straight and was just getting upset. That is why I was asking for some input. I do go out there and spend a lot of time trying to get them.

Google earth may be a good resource too. It should show where the weed beds are in the warm weather. Hit weed beds until you find something. Switch lures. Have you been picking up pike? Sounds like there are a million little pike in Smith.

[Houdy66]

Do you have electronics? If not, then you should definitely consider getting a flasher. If you do and you still aren't catching any fish, I'm really not sure what to tell you. When I got my Showdown it increased my catch rate by at least three times.

Sounds like a tough bite on Smith right now, and Mike would be the one to know. Just keep switching things up. Try different lures, try different baits. Try jigging aggressively, try dead sticking. Usually when the perch are reluctant to bite, I switch to a micro jig tipped with a 1/2" plastic tail that has tons of action. Quick little jigs, almost like shaking hands with your fishing pole, right in their face then letting it sit very still seems to coax them into biting.

One last tip: If you can't seem to find the perch right on the bottom, bounce your jig off the bottom 3-4 times to stir up the silt. That usually brings them in pretty good. Now that I've given you pretty much all the advice I can think of, go back out there and TRY NEW THINGS! And remember, HAVE FUN! It's fishing, after all.... Good luck to you. And remember to post to the reports and conditions page, that way us veteran members won't think it's so annoying when new guys ask all these specific questions. At least you'll be giving something back to the forum.

[vicster]

Houdy hit the nail on the head.  If you don't own a flasher, get one.  It's a game changer, especially when searching out fish.  Try using small jigging spoons or a hali type lure(I usually use perch colored ones), I've never found perch that wouldn't eat one or the other.  I'd also guess that you will probably have to fish through a bunch of hammerhandles even if your on the perch, as those small pike and big perch are mostly eating the same thing.  Flasher helps there also since you can usually see the bite coming and you can be quicker on the hookset and keep your line out of their mouths. Be persistent, punch a bunch of holes (I usually drill 30-50 even on water I know), and stay mobile and you'll find them.  Good luck.

[BK_Fisherman]

A flasher isn't going to make a night and day impact on Smith Lake due to the shallow water and extremely heavy weed growth, I feel like an underwater camera would be a far greater benefit in someplace like Smith where you are constantly fighting off the hammer handle pike in search of jumbo light biting perch. From my own experience, the jumbo perch bites can be literally undetectable unless you can actually "see" them biting it. As others have mentioned, nobody is going to be giving any secrets away due to the fact that it's a tournament lake. I would agree that it's damn frustrating, but you need to seek out any deep pockets or openings in the weeds and have a way to visually see the perch on Smith to be consistently successful IMHO.

[CarpCopRetired]

What works better on that lake, the male or female maggots?

[JohnMcN1]

What works better on that lake, the male or female maggots?

Hahahaha!!!!

😝

[vicster]

Always gota give the nod to the ladies, especially the ones with a ample greasing of crawdad oil.  Who wouldn't want to hit that...

[PerchAssault]

Over EIGHTY pounds of Perch caught by the top ten teams yesterday...That is a NEW record, average eight pound bag!!!

Cameras dominated...and all but about 5 teams using some sort of electronics...out of SIXTY...

Want to catch Perch on Smith Lake?

1. Call Petes Tackle and get whats HOT...he KNOWS, because all the top teams are using his STUFF. That is why a company HAS a Pro staff...to test and try and see what works...they have already done the work FOR you, all you have to do is go fish the stuff that is proven to work...
2. Drill and move...Drill and move...drill and move...get one or two good ones?  Stop and let them come to you...
3. Clear out the weeds from below your hole with a small gaff or the like...they will find you...maybe not that day...but go back...they will find you...

Colors, preferred baits, fish location and jigging action all seem to change by the day...some of the pickiest Perch there are, because they are ALL old and ALL educated...you don't catch numbers because there aren't too many year classes coming up...

PS-about 90 percent of ALL the fish caught in the tournament yesterday were released...including the #1.56 winner of the big fish pot...

I would say that anyone fishing Smith Lake for the rest of the season will have it almost to themselves...

Mike
www.perchassault.com