These are two of Bosley’s favorite float-and-fly jigs. He uses the one with chartreuse thread on sunny days. The jig of the top with red thread is the one he works with on cloudy days. For walleye, crappie and trout, I have found that the color of the head of the jig is important.
What is the best perch bait for ice fishing?
Ice Fishing Perch Bait Perch feed on insects, freshwater shrimp, and smaller baitfish. Start with an ice jig and soft plastic tipped with a waxie to mimic insects and shrimp.
How do you catch a perch for ice fishing?
The top finesse baits for perch are ice fishing jigs, and it’s tough to beat maggots as tipping bait. To work ice jigs, slowly lower the bait towards bottom. Be sure to work the bait down the water column using small hops and pauses to make it dance like a tiny aquatic morsel.
How deep should you ice fish for perch?
Ice anglers typically target perch on flats in 20 to 35 feet of water during most of the winter season. Although, early season perch can be caught in 12 to 15 feet before the aquatic plants start to die off.
What color jig is best for perch?
As far as color goes for lure selection its really going to depend on the body of water you are fishing, but generally I like starting out with UV green, UV pink or orange and then a natural perch color.
What depth do perch like in winter?
The typical depths are 19 to 36 feet. Shallower mudflats in 8 to 12 feet are used primarily when the vegetation is still green. If plants are dead, perch move to deeper flats.
What color do perch like?
Perch typically respond well to bright colors like white and chartreuse, but they may also bite more natural brown and green tones that imitate crayfish and other prey.
What line do you use for ice fishing perch?
Chances are, that sediment will attract perch, and you’ll be pulling them onto the ice in no time! Use a leader – Especially in clear water, a leader will land more fish. We recommend 2 to 4-pound braided line with a 2 to 3-foot fluorocarbon leader. That combo is incredibly sensitive and all but invisible.
What is the best time to catch perch?
Perch fishing is usually best in the early morning or evening hours during late spring and early summer and late afternoon or evening in late summer. In autumn, both morning and late afternoon-evening provide excellent fishing. In the natural lakes, the best fishing is usually from late summer until late fall.
How do you catch perch in the winter?
How do you attract perch?
Perch are also very attracted by color and flash. If using a slip bobber setup (or dead sticking), add a small colored bead just above the bait on the main line. The bead acts as a beacon to find the natural bait. This will increase catch rates greatly, especially in stained water.
How do you get jumbo perch?
What is the best month to ice fish?
March is my favorite month for ice-fishing. The days are longer, the weather isn’t as cold, and the fish like to get caught in March. Following are some things to keep in mind to catch more fish through the ice until the end of the ice season.
Do you jig when ice fishing?
Whether using an ice fishing rod or hook-and-line method while fishing on the ice, a good technique to try is jigging. You can use ice fishing jigging lures or live ice fishing bait while ice fishing jigging.
What colors are good for ice fishing?
One of the most consistent colors used by experts in these conditions is glowing orange, green and yellow coupled with bright metallic flash matching the watercolor. Using bright colors will help fish key in on your bait from further away which usually helps illicit more strikes.
Where are the big perch in the winter?
At first ice, perch can be scattered anywhere, but by mid-winter most will be on mid- to deep flats. They’ll stay there until the last weeks of the season, before moving close to their spawning sites. Shallow flats, weedy bays and reedy shorelines will produce some of the year’s best perch fishing during ice out.
Is it better to ice fish in shallow or deep water?
For the most part, where you find the fish in the spring and fall will be the same place you’ll find them in the winter. In my experience, I’ve found that most of the best ice-fishing action comes in water from 3-to-20 feet deep.
What size lures for perch?
Use lures in the 6cm-9cm range, as these are ideal for perch, and pay attention to the diving depth of the lure. The bigger the vane on the front of the lure, the deeper it will dive. By far the best shape of crankbait for perch is a short, stumpy body that produces a really fast wiggle action.
Are perch bottom feeders?
Angling: Yellow perch are day feeders and are primarily bottom feeders with a slow deliberate bite. They eat almost anything, but prefer minnows, insect larvae, plankton, and worms.
Do you need a wire trace for perch?
In waters that do not contain any pike, you do not need to use a wire trace for perch, as their teeth simply won’t be able to bite through your line. However, if the venue you are fishing for perch in also holds pike, you should always use a thin wire trace in order to protect the fish and save your lures.
Does line color matter for ice fishing?
What pound test should I use for ice fishing?
In open water, line of 6- or 8-pound test may qualify as “light,” but ice anglers commonly scale down to 4-, 3-and 2-pound test with 1-pound line a serious option as well. Fish below the ice are sluggish, and they will not put up as hard a fight as they will in warm water conditions.
What time of day do perch bite in winter?
When fishing for perch in winter, the best time of day is the period between morning and noon.
What depth do perch feed at?
The best spots for big yellow perch may be inshore near shallow breaks or in water as deep as 30ft / 9m, but most gather near underwater structures such as rocks, weed beds or channels. Check these structures, and if perch aren’t schooling there, drift with a bottom-bouncing bait rig until one turns up.
What temperature do perch like?
Perch spawn in the spring , in shallow waters (usually 3 – 12 feet deep), where they lay strands of eggs over weeds and structure. Water temperature is often the trigger for spawning – around 50 degrees. The preferred temperature range for perch is 63 to 77 degrees, but the optimal temperatures are 70-75 degrees.