A combination of factors over recent years, most notably poor hatches, has decimated the Lake Erie perch population, especially in the central basin, from Huron east to Fairport Harbor.
Where is the best perch fishing in Michigan?
Good fishing for perch can be found out of numerous Lake Michigan ports, the Les Cheneaux Islands area of northern Lake Huron, Saginaw Bay, Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie. Inland lakes with notable perch fisheries include Gogebic, Independence, Burt, Hubbard, Crystal, Higgins and Elk.
How do you ice fish for perch in Michigan?
What is the best bait for perch ice fishing?
- Northland Lures Buck Shot Spoon or Forage Minnow – In Super Glo Chub.
- Jensen Eggs/Pautzki Eggs – Orange Shrimp.
- Live Minnows.
- Super Small Tungsten Jig Heads.
- Small grubs or Mizmo Tubes.
Where do you find perch when ice fishing?
Winter Locations to Fish Perch At first ice, look for perch near or in areas still holding healthy weeds in lakes. Bays, slow-tapering drop offs near weed lines, soft-bottom zones, flats, or reefs are all good areas. In rivers, look for perch in similar areas but out of the main river current.
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.
What is the perch limit in Michigan?
i) The daily possession limit for Yellow Perch shall be twenty-five (25), with no more than five (5) Yellow Perch 12 inches or greater.
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.
How do you target perch ice fishing?
How do you catch more perch in ice fishing?
How to Catch Perch on Hard Water. At first ice, look for Perch in the healthy vegetation that still remains in shallower water. Vegetation provides a vertical grass edge that supports minnows and other forage that Perch feed on. In mid-winter, Perch will push into deeper water with silty bottoms that hold insects.
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 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 time of day is best for ice fishing?
The best time of day to ice fish is during the first couple of hours after sunrise, and for about 2 hours both before and after sunset. These are the times when most fish are heading to their feeding grounds, and when most species are active. What is this?
What colors do perch like ice fishing?
In dark water (or when perch are scattered in clear water) flash lures work well. The bigger the lure, the more flash and vibration. Most flash lures for perch weigh 1/8 to 1/4 ounce. Phosphorescent or metallic lures, like gold-silver, green, and orange attract perch.
Where can I find late ice perch?
Leech Lake has really kicked in as a great winter late ice perch factory. Many perch on Leech are coming off of large sand and sand grass flats where fish. Mille Lacs, Winnebago and Lake Winnie are also top bets that see suicidal shallow bites on jumbo perch.
Where can I find jumbo perch?
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.
What happened to the perch in Lake Michigan?
Lake Michigan perch have suffered from extremely poor recruitment, or survival of young fish, since the early 1990s. Most researchers link the decline of the native fish to drastic changes in the lake’s food web brought on by invasive zebra and quagga mussels in the last several decades.
Can you use goldfish as bait in Michigan?
In Michigan, goldfish are not a pest species, but the state has prohibited their use as bait.
Do perches go deep in 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.
Where do perch sit in the winter?
Finding a good perch hotspot early, and even all the way throughout the ice season means finding transition areas. Areas where schools of perch will constantly be filtering in and out of, looking to spawn and looking to eat. Look for areas just outside of the deep-water basin.
What size perch is a keeper?
Keepers start at 8″, Smaller ones have been in the pail before. I prefer them in the 8 – 10 inch range for eating, but will gladly keep some of the slabs.