I Need Help Finding Perch

[icebucketjohn]

Perch, you say?

 

[toadfish]

Icebucketjohn,  Yep, that is what they look like,  now how do I find them?

Those look like some of the monsters I got to catch one Lake Simcoe in Ontario.

[snowcone]

did someone say perch  ?

[icebucketjohn]

Wish I had a foolproof answer for finding them, but I dont.  I'll search for them mid to late season... drilling a ton of holes searching various depths & structure

[snowcone]

just when you have a winning program the next day BAM , ita all changed..we know this they like to eat , never got perch after dark, they hang all over, and like mud bottom for grazing, weeds to spawn in ....

[walleyeguy]

I have lived on indian lake for 45 years and never caught a perch until i went fishing with wballard

[esox]

Search under Joe Balog perch vids. Schedule a trip to Lk. St.Clair and fish as you learned from the vids. Catch perch out the yinyang. The bead spoon tech can work inland but the water needs to be clear. Plus it's best to cut about a zillion holes.

[wballard77]

You can catch perch consistently on Indian. There are a few key spots that always produce. If you study a good lake map, and study the habits of perch you will find them.

[crv423]

I recently stumbled into a good school on Alum. They were in a sandy area 36 plus fow, feeding on blood worms, when we laid them on the ice the puked hundreds up. If the lakes you fish have a beech, try fishing deep water in front of it.

[wballard77]

Wes,  I was very near the hump area you have highlighted a couple of seasons ago and did not mark a single fish.  I may have been near the point that goes out to the west, just on the west side of the hump.  I tried Metzger and Ferguson for both perch and eyes and caught lots (just a few really) of undersize eyes but not a single perch.  According to wildohio.com, the east reserviors have better numbers and sizes of perch than Bressler.  I picked up a few perch from the south bank the fall before last and they were 9"+.  I want to be able to get those in winter.

I drilled many holes and looked with the Vex FL-20 and would move to the next hole unless I spotted fish.  I never did mark anything but when the sun got low, I would jig vibee's for eyes.

They seem to move up and down that hump. "imagine it like a dinner table". historically the dont chase bait when they are off to the sides, but you can catch a few. when they are on top you WILL limit out. With as much ice as i think they have they are most likely in the deep north holes  due to low O2 levels. Just a guess!