Shallow perch

[NortsNskis]

Ive read a ton of tips/hints threads on what everyone uses or theyre go to jig/bait combo.  But what i cant seem to find is if the depth of water comes in to play when deciding on a jig/bait.  I know some jigs are heavier and sink quicker and so on and that you generally want brighter colors on brighter days and darker on darker days. 

But what is a good jig/bait combo for shallow perch that seem hungry but wont commit??
Do you jig violently or softly??


I ask because where ive been fishing is 7' deep MAX with a varied bottom of silt,muck and weeds.  This is my first year ice fishing and i threw everything i have at them and they were not interested.  The gills and crappies were interested lol but not the perch.   I can say they were not interested at all in a pimple tipped with any sort of live bait.   They were most interested in a jig that was spoon shaped and black with gold flake and very small.  But that was it, they just wouldnt commit....

[Swift]

When in doubt go small with lighter line. To early for pre-spawning runs so the odds are they're after some type of bugs in the weeds. 3mm or 4mm Wolfram/Diamond type jig and a spike/waxie or small buggy plastic has been the answer for me under similar situations often. Putting a ~3' tippet of 1#-2# line often helps in the shallows. 1/64th jig and a small minnow type plastic also may work, thin  bait and no more than 2" long 

[NortsNskis]

Thanks for the info, i should have mentioned i currently have clear 2# line on.  I just switched to that after noticing a decline of bites on the 4# high vis green line i had on there.  I was correct the bite increased but the perch are still wary haha...typical.   

I have a custom jigs and spins diamond jig in chartruse and orange that i have yet to use, dont remember what size they are but they are very small.  Maybe i will pop in the baint shop and see what i can find smaller size.

I heard that wigglers are the go to bait when the fish are tight lipped, but i also heard they are expensive and hard to keep alive.   Is there any truth to this???

[Swift]

Wigglers are great, expensive if they're even carried properly locally, but extremely difficult to keep alive. Do well with Scud Bug bodies on Diamond type jigs, Bloodworms and Rat Finky tails may also work. Jig size actually has little effect on what ones trying to do, the overall size is controlled by what else is attached to it. A Spike is much smaller overall than a Waxie, plastics can be cut, without killing it, to any size needed. "Usually" when Perch come up from the depths they're often looking for something very specific, a hatch or little things moving away from the dead shallow water near shore. Catch one, check its gut and match the hatch

[NortsNskis]

Wigglers are great, expensive if they're even carried properly locally, but extremely difficult to keep alive. Do well with Scud Bug bodies on Diamond type jigs, Bloodworms and Rat Finky tails may also work. Jig size actually has little effect on what ones trying to do, the overall size is controlled by what else is attached to it. A Spike is much smaller overall than a Waxie, plastics can be cut, without killing it, to any size needed. "Usually" when Perch come up from the depths they're often looking for something very specific, a hatch or little things moving away from the dead shallow water near shore. Catch one, check its gut and match the hatch

   key words...catch one lol hopefully i will sunday.  Ill be sure to post if i do.  But first i need to make a few stops to pick up some more tackle.   Ever notice any difference in using red spikes compared to normal spikes???   What i thought was funny is that the bait shop owner says to me "use red trebles, they cant see em" yet he tried to sell me red spikes???

[wngnut]

I like the arnold fairy jigs loaded with spikes for shallow water. They're small enough that when they swim up to the bait, all they have to do is flair their gills and Inhale the bait. The two flapper blades are a good attractor when they're jigged, Provides flash and a clacking sound.

[swamp puppy]

if perch aren't biting i always go smaller. last time i was out, i was fishing over weeds in 6 to 15 feet of water. the perch were very finicky so i eventually tied on the very smallest jig i own. not only did the perch start biting but i caught a small bass and had a pike bite at it (missed it when i set the hook). buy some of the smallest ice jigs you can find for these type of days.

[Townie]

I usually find perch more eager to bite than gills or crappies... Hali spoon 1st, then down size

[NortsNskis]

Took all the advice and slammed the perch this weekend!! granted it was a different lake but i found them shallow (3-10 FOW) and started off small - Chartruese diamond tiger jig with waxies and wigglers.  They loved them, they were also hitting tipups with fatheads and even a few small shiners 

[gillyman]

Hey, good for you!  I usually find that smaller lures work better shallow and larger lures deep, but not always.    Low light seems to favor larger lures too.   Diamond jigs have been working for me lately with spring bobbers even in 20 fow.  Maggots seem to work well and sometimes I pack them on the hook.
Perch will fear you soon.
Sometimes they just won't hit.