Yet, nothing's guaranteed when looking for perch, and their roaming tendencies can challenge even experienced anglers. “Just reel it so it’s tight and then the minnow’s at  the right depth the whole time.”. Here’s how to do it. The trouble that some anglers face when fishing flats is their size. “If I’m marking fish and they’re not real aggressive, I’ll use small tubes [and] small swimbaits.”. This winter, the ability to be mobile made a huge difference for jumbo perch ice fishing… Fine Tuning your Approach to Catching Jumbo Perch 2020-2021 has been a great season for Jumbo Perch on the prairie. lats are one of the most consistent locations to find yellow perch in winter. We were fishing a mid-depth flat in February for perch and consistently caught them by tipping a glow Custom Jigs & Spins Ratfinkee with a small minnow head. Richard Walker famously described perch as ‘the biggest fish of all’ which seems a bit odd for a fish which has a maximum weight of around 6lbs (2.7kg), but as with a lot of things in life it comes down to expectations.Perch figure prominently in many anglers’ early experiences because small ones are abundant, very obliging and not particularly tackle-shy. Of course, modern ice anglers have plenty of technology for tracking down perch, which is advantageous in turbid water and on mid-depth to deep flats. We were fishing a mid-depth flat in February for perch and consistently caught them by tipping a glow, Equally potent for Chong is using a drop-shot rig. Equally important are available cover and any structural variations. “In winter cabbage and milfoil can be nothing but the stubble, but they will hold fish,” Brosdahl said. According to Mitch, this is typically a mid to late April through December fishery. One, I haven’t yet mastered. Many anglers practicing fishing for striped predators in the deaf and not very deaf snag, in recent years, are increasingly using soft baits and rigs to avoid snagging and clipping gear. The rattle chambers in these baits quickly attract roaming perch. Lure fishing for perch has become a bit of an obsession for me. Perch and bass like them on some days, but they hardly ever work for … The difficult part about catching perch is … Hot news. The ultra-shiny brass or chrome finishes of these spoons flicker and flash as the bait flutters down sideways and away from the hole, before rocking back to center on a tight line. Dressing the treble with some tinsel, feathers or a plastic tube adds a subtle action for triggering bites. When pounded on hard bottom, these jigs produce a different sound than lead ones. It saves on holes to drill and is a great search tool,” Chong said. — Tim Allard of Ottawa, Ontario, is a hardwater expert and author-photographer of the multi-award winning book, “Ice Fishing: The Ultimate Guide.”, EXPLORE OTHER MEDIA 360 PROPERTIES FOR OUTDOORS ENTHUSIASTS. Perch fishing in the winter. I like how simple and relaxing it is. You will not see much under the ice, even with an … On the other hand, sand patches found in weed beds or even near clusters of weeds offer a great spot for perch to stalk and ambush unsuspecting prey. Reel:. How to Hire a Lake Erie Fishing Charter. One great, flashy offering that I’ve relied on for years is a Williams Ice Jig (limerick hooks removed). These spots will also give you the opportunity to use swimming bait, like a Jigging Rapala which is my absolute favourite all around winter perch lure. The trouble that some anglers face when fishing flats is their size. In winter, when fishing for perch, it is important to orientate yourself as much as possible towards the naturally occurring food fish. Where to find them: Perch will usually be in water 8-15 feet deep during months with low temperature. Digital lake maps also display large uprisings and substantial features, like contour bends and drop-offs. Brosdahl likes his creation, the, I recall one winter outing with my 5-year-old nephew. Chong likes McGathy’s Slab Grabbers, a bent spoon tipped with a small plastic bead. Here’s how to do it. Hole-hopping and then lowering and shaking this scent-loaded bait above the school was as complex as this approach got. Some years back, I watched Brosdahl scan a flat using Humminbird’s 360 Imaging from his Toyota FJ Cruiser to locate roaming panfish. Catching perch in winter is not always about finding the biggest fish but locating a shoal and having fun. What I will say is the tackle you’re using appears to be a bit on the hefty side. The advent of much colder air is negatively viewed by most of us fishermen, but signals to many others the enhanced opportunities to catch massive yellow perch in the Savannah River below the … This flashy dance drives perch wild. White perch ice fishing can be fast-paced because they travel in large schools and feed aggressively during the winter, making them a prime target for ice-fishermen looking for fast action with hard-fighting fish. When big and bold doesn’t work, downsizing will catch inactive perch or ones with tunnel vision for diminutive forage. Brosdahl believes in flash, too. Perch fishing tips for winter on rivers By Pete Reading November 10, 2019 The next few months is a wonderful time to be targeting rivers for perch as they can produce some brilliant sport River fishing for perch in the winter (Image credit: Future) Forage is a strong influencing factor for where and how perch relate to flats. Brosdahl also raised the potency of drop-shotting for perch. Perch will hit anything aquatically organic. “Then there’s live bait,” Brosdahl said. When the bite's hot, these schooling fish can deliver days of non-stop action. On other waters, he focuses on finding chara. Brosdahl also looks for hard-bottom zones, like shell beds or rocky uprisings, as they help perch to capture darters, minnows, crayfish, insects and other food. In other lakes, cabbage or milfoil on flats hold the biggest perch, provided the vegetation still has life in it and isn’t rank with decay. Yellow perch will begin trickling into these holes early in the winter, and usually provide steady fishing starting at some point in January. Brosdahl will lower an, One way that Brosdahl attracts perch is by jigging a, I’ve found the tactic effective, as well. Overview: During early fall, the changing water temps will trigger perch to start feeding more in preparation for the winter while also slowing down their activity levels. It is actually quite the accomplishment to consistently catch perch throughout the entire winter season. To recap, instead of a sinker he uses a Slab Grabber. Thus began the Bro-ipedia explanation of when, where and why yellow perch live on flats during winter across the Ice Belt. When perch are down feeding on gobies, a #4 Stringease Zero Twist Shot is positioned 4 inches off of the bottom, 6 inches at the most. Winter fishing perch in the snag. Brosdahl will lower an Aqua-Vu and spin it around to check the health of vegetation, learn about cover, and look for bloodworm “smokestacks” on bottom and other forage. Covering as much water as you can until you land on top of them is definitely the most efficient way to tackle deep basin perch. It is located directly in front of a large weedy bay. During the winter months I tend to fish mostly for perch. Tungsten jigs are smaller than lead ones of the similar weight and help with deep-perch bites when you need to quickly get down to fish. What's so good about perch anyway? The time it will take for your lure to hit bottom cuts into your catch rate. Clam, Custom Jigs & Spins, HT Enterprises, Northland Fishing Tackle and Ultra Tungsten are brands offering tungsten jigs. One of his tricks is jigging a large gold or silver. There is a spot I like to fish, late in the season. The best time for perch fishing in the winter are considered the first few weeks after installation the ice. Thin, wispy tails match bloodworms. Sebago Lake, Maine; Wachusett Reservoir, Massachusetts; Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire He often jigs a 2-inch Slab Grabber, but upsizes to a 3-incher in deep water or for more flash. Above this 8 to 10 inches is the drop-shot hook with the plastic shrimp. Nightcrawlers can be an excellent bait for ice fishing, depending on the fish species you want to catch. That’s perch candy.”. This rig provides the attraction of a spoon with the triggering power of a small plastic. At this time the predator has to search around the pond, not moving, as before, and winters in a specific location. Plus it is great fishing to take kids and new fishermen too – plenty of action to keep them entertained, and lets them learn the basics of working a rod and reel, setting the hook, and other basic fishing skills. 12lb line is way to strong for winter fishing with a block-end feeder. This is likely the result of the absence of a school of perch in the immediate vicinity. Throughout the winter, perch can relate to shallow, mid and deep flats. Chong uses Garmin’s Panoptix to locate fish faster. “The grass mixed with rubble is key for holding them in an area.”. Brosdahl and Chong aren’t shy about going high-tech on ice. Tackling flats of football-field dimensions can be intimidating, but with the right tactics and presentations anglers can quickly sift through unproductive water and dial-in biting perch. Once they do a strike will usually soon follow. Back 10 or 15 years ago, I began catching good numbers of perch while fishing for holdover stripers in the winter in some of the rivers that empty into Narragansett Bay. On slack line it’ll wobble and fall to the side. Start your jigging cadence by dropping the bait down … This is where your power auger is going to be a key ingredient for having a successful day on the ice. After that bite died, I switched to a tungsten jig and a finesse worm (aka blood-worm replica), pounded it on the bottom and swam it up the water column to catch neutral perch loitering below the hole. I’ve had some frantic lure fishing sessions for perch once I’ve located the shoals! Flash is another potent perch attractor. But a look inside a perch can also be worth its weight in gold. “I like to set snares for perch with deadsticks. Bait position off of the bottom is based on where he sees fish on his Humminbird Helix sonar, but can range from 3 inches to 3 feet. After finding perch, he’ll use the camera to observe perch reactions to different presentations, then refine tactics and make them bite. Winter time tends to turn people off chasing Golden Perch, the cold water sends shivers down most anglers spines and this is also true with the fish, but that’s not to say it isn’t worth doing all together, sometimes a little effort and hard work goes a long way in the winter freeze. You know the feeling when you first begin angling; everything is a surprise, everything you hook sends your heart racing with anticipation, actually making you anxious with what you could be attached to. “A drop-shot takes away the guesswork of where the bait is,” Brosdahl said. 15 feet and shallower is where I like to probe the weed patches for perch. One of his tricks is jigging a large gold or silver Northland Buck-Shot Rattle Spoon just beneath the ice. When perch are down feeding on gobies, a, Brosdahl typically uses 3- to 5-pound monofilament tied to a size 4 or 6, “A drop-shot takes away the guesswork of where the bait is,” Brosdahl said. The data is uploaded into one of his Garmin portable units before first ice. This helps to work a larger patch of water beneath the ice, which is always a bonus for attracting perch. He dangles the drop-shot on a Frabill Bro Series deadstick rod set across a pail or secured in a rod holder. “They graze their way across the flats.”. In deeper water, Chong customizes the drop-shot into a donkey rig, which we shared with readers last winter. We are currently enjoying the golden age of perch fishing and with more commercial stillwaters reaching maturity, along with the perch that live in them, there’s never been a better time catch specimen perch. Thin, wispy tails match bloodworms. They are one of the best ice fishing baits for all kinds of trout, and also work well for crappie and other panfish. The quicker you get down to the fish the better. During mid-winter, I can still find some nice, green weeds but into the last month of the season this often changes. Steel nods, as well as from springs and nipple rubber bands did not … Keep the above locations and tactics in mind when facing off against flat-living perch and you’re well on your way to a lot of great catches this winter. Deep Basin Perch Drop bait near the bottom. Let’s face it; perch are not the largest of fish – a 2lb fish being a good fish and anything 3lbs+ being a very good fish. Tackling flats of football-field dimensions can be intimidating, but with the right tactics and presentations anglers can quickly sift through unproductive water and dial-in biting perch. If you’re using a flasher, you will notice that most of the fish that come into view are aggressive and anxious to hit your bait. After all, perch often feed on crayfish and other creatures in winter. When big and bold doesn’t work, downsizing will catch inactive perch or ones with tunnel vision for diminutive forage. Sometimes this is what perch want, like when they’re feeding on freshwater shrimp or other suspended morsels. The colored bead acts as a bull’s-eye for riled-up perch. Perch Fishing Tackle. Often by February perch-jerking in these deep-water holes will be so fast and furious that at times you’ll envision the perch packed in there fin-to-fin. If I find a spot that is getting consistent flurries of fish every half hour or so, I will set-up shop and wait for the schools as they pass through. “Bloodworms feed on decaying matter, and crayfish, too.”. “Gobies don’t really go that far off of the bottom because of their lack of a swim bladder,” Chong said. Weed Perch I know that perch use this bay to spawn and I try to cross paths with them moving from the deep water, in. Join me for a days Perch fishing on the kennet & Avon Canal. Inevitably, as is often the case, I needed to relocate and try other holes on the flat to find fish again, then repeat the process. He uses the rig on setlines for prospecting a flat. This is where your power auger is going to be a key ingredient for having a successful day on the ice. Some of the finest perch fishing of the year can be had on the deep basin portions of a body of water. “Even on Simcoe with all its gobies, perch still love scuds and this bait is great,” he said. Fortunately perch of these sizes are now becoming more common and are likely to come from almost any fishery that has perch in. Most of the time when I am actually targeting yellow perch, I will routinely put in a full day on the ice punching dozens of holes searching for signs of a school. The choice of the place of fishing. Learn About Perch Behavior in the Area. I’ve found the tactic effective, as well. Or, use fatheads or tiny shiners. They don’t need much, if anything to entice a strike. Sand grass is another good find, according to Lake Simcoe ice-fishing expert, Dave Chong of Aurora, Ontario. Colder temperatures mean hot fishing for perch, others. Eyes, Gills, & Fish Parts. The data is uploaded into one of his. Small spoons like forage minnows have a long, narrow profile and great action for lightly jigging up these weed perch. Not having fished the Mersey I’m hardly in a position to judge whether you’re fishing in a decent area or not. One way that Brosdahl attracts perch is by jigging a Northland Buck-Shot Flutter Spoon or a Northland Rippin’ Shad. Hiring a Lake Erie fishing charter is easy … Part of the allure of pursuing perch in the winter is the cooperative nature of the yellow-and-black rascals. While irregularities may stall their movements, or encourage them to swim laps around a smaller area, anglers must be prepared with attention-getting baits to keep perch interested and stall them from swimming away. To help you crack the perch code this winter, heed the following ice fishing tips on winter locations and top baits. The instinctive behavior to form a school greatly limits the distribution of perch in a lake during winter. While Chong says aggressive fish will smash a Slab Grabber or other lures, when perch are neutral he often has better success with smaller, go-by-like plastics fished tight to the floor. Other options include the Berkley PowerBait Ice Whipworm, Custom Jigs & Spins Wedgee, and Maki Bloodi and Spiiki. And, when perch are on the chew, he’ll catch them on both. Both size and colour must be taken into account. “When shallow, I like sand grass, with little piles of rocks or rubble mixed in,” Chong said, noting that sand grass isn’t a tall vertical plant, but typically only grows a few inches off of the bottom. While looking for perch on your electronics, focus on the bottom of the lake. There’s no shortage of soft bait for tipping jigs. A small perch livebait often out fishes a roach 10 to 1.” GET OUT THERE - NOW! Trying to get perch to rise off the bottom is actually the most difficult task. After all, our hero loves shelter. hi Lee. Generally, perch on flats are locomotive in nature. Since the late season has much warmer weather, I don’t mind moving around. Fish can be caught through the ice, however the best fishing starts when the water starts to warm and the fish become more active. Perch is my favourite pattern with fluorescent orange a close second. Flats are one of the most consistent locations to find yellow perch in winter. A fathead minnow or other scrumptious baitfish is used to tip the hook, below it the tag end holding either a bell sinker for sand or mud flats, or a wire sinker on a hard bottom. Once you do find a school of perch your next challenge is going to be getting down to the strike zone. Few species rile up ice anglers like yellow perch. Brosdahl typically uses 3- to 5-pound monofilament tied to a size 4 or 6 Gamakatsu Swivel Shot G-Finesse Drop Shot Hook that, like the Stringease hook, eliminates line twist. Equally potent for Chong is using a drop-shot rig. Tungsten jigs are smaller than lead ones of the similar weight and help with deep-perch bites when you need to quickly get down to fish. The invasive round goby found in Lake Simcoe and other waters provides another forage perspective for bottom-feeding perch. Where to Find White Perch in New England. Crayfish live in this aquatic tumbleweed and perch love eating crayfish. Don’t write-off lead, though. Foodie Friday: Tips for Smoking Venison Jerky. Doesn’t it seem like you catch more of them when targeting other species instead of when you’re actually fishing for perch? The aggressive fish crushed the lure. Just as with pike, rivers are my main plan of attack for perch during the winter months. “Like pike, perch are highly cannibalistic. Early in the spring, anglers often catch perch in shallow water less than 10 feet deep. The general rule is green is good and brown is bad. “Rather than drill a hole, see nothing, then drill another hole, and so on, I’ll lower the Panoptix, look around and know I’ve found fish or that I don’t have to drill a hole for another 50 feet. Brosdahl and Chong aren’t shy about going high-tech on ice. Freedom Tackle’s Minnow Jigging Spoon is another unique, flashy, bead-tipped bait that I’m growing increasingly fond of for winter panfish. Here I am going to cover the lure rigs I use throughout the winter to try and outwit some of these big old perch including spinners, spinnerbaits, jigs and various other methods. Early in the season, the fish are upriver, and start working their way downriver as the water warms. Winter: If you are fishing for yellow perch during winter, it denotes that you live in states that are warm where lakes don’t freeze over or it is basically not very cold enough to be on the ice, and you have areas of lake with soft-water. Sand grass is another good find, according to Lake Simcoe, Chong prefers doing this homework in open water from his boat during the warmer months, saving GPS waypoints for rock piles and other attractive features. These perch don’t stick around for very long period of time. The trouble that some anglers face when fishing flats is their size. Once I mark fish or several fish, I will continue to jig but with longer pauses. The only thing I … Then, drop it into the scene.” He’ll tip the spoon with a minnow head if perch need extra convincing. Usually during first ice and into mid-winter perch can be found in depths of 60-80Perch Fishing feet in many lakes. “Just reel it so it’s tight and then the minnow’s at, HT Enterprises Ice Scentz Freshwater Shrimp, Gamakatsu Swivel Shot G-Finesse Drop Shot Hook, Magical Giant Miscanthus: Planting, Growing and Maintaining. Chong prefers doing this homework in open water from his boat during the warmer months, saving GPS waypoints for rock piles and other attractive features. The following tips are for techniques I used successfully when I’m trying to master winter perch on Lake Superior and the bays of Lake George. When perch hold on deeper flats, a typical midwinter pattern, Chong likes rock piles and rubble depth irregularities. “It flashes under the ice, which is also shiny, so that you get a baitfish effect to attract them. Crayfish meat … When pounded on hard bottom, these jigs produce a different sound than lead ones. Transition Perch Covering as much water as you can until you land on top of them is definitely the most efficient way to tackle deep basin perch. Perch can be a funny bunch. Brosdahl likes his creation, the Northland Impulse Bro’s Bloodworm, as well as the Skeleton Minnow. I recall one winter outing with my 5-year-old nephew. Simply, they are making the transition from deep to shallow. Underwater cameras also help. Last winter while fishing an 18-foot flat I caught several perch snapping a Rapala Ultra Light Rippin’ Rap. If you can use multiple lines, why wouldn’t ya?” he asked rhetorically. For light jigs, bristle nods are successfully used. I jig aggressively while keeping a close eye on my flasher trying to call in perch from a distance. His bait of choice is HT Enterprises Ice Scentz Freshwater Shrimp. Tackling flats of football-field dimensions can be intimidating, but with the right tactics and presentations anglers can quickly sift through unproductive water and dial-in biting perch. The reel should be, just like the rod, a rather comprehensive spinning reel. Last winter while fishing an 18-foot flat I caught several perch snapping a, One great, flashy offering that I’ve relied on for years is a, Brosdahl believes in flash, too. Jigging for Perch Ice Fishing. I’ve had some great trips catching 3 to 8oz perch on light tackle. As a rule, the nod for winter perch fishing is made of plastic. Any list of ice fishing tips for perch will describe a wide … On some of his local lakes, mud flats adjacent to structure are the places to catch portly perch, eating bloodworms in the muck. “Perch are kind of like cattle,” said ice guide Brian “Bro” Brosdahl of Max, Minnesota. Brosdahl explained that there are many different kinds of ingredients to look for in a flat. Although, I do catch perch in the weeds throughout the entire winter, most of my success will comes during the mid-late ice season. They’re social creatures that seem to enjoy each other’s company, so when you catch one, you can be certain there are plenty more in the immediate area—sometimes as many as 50 fish or more. You can definitely still use the same lures but most of the time on Superior where I fish, I can bump up one size of Jigging Rapala and get it down to the bottom much faster. Usually during first ice and into mid-winter perch can be found in depths of 60-80Perch Fishing feet in many lakes. Perch moving from deep to shallow water are what I like to call transition perch. Throughout the winter, perch can relate to shallow, mid and deep flats. Cuddeback CuddeLink: No Cell Service Needed! Some years back, I watched Brosdahl scan a flat using, Underwater cameras also help. The upper Pocomoke River is a veritable winter playground for fisherfolks, with pickerel, largemouth bass, catfish, and yellow perch all present through the never-ending fishing season.