Winter perch can be some of the most exciting fishing available to winter anglers. Although perch themselves do not grow big compared to a walleye or pike, the schools they roam in are. Big numbers of perch are present in lakes all across Ontario with easy access and high possession limits. With most of the vegetation dead, perch move deep in search of cover and obviously food. These tips will help you increase your catch rate during the coldest winter months.

Dare to Go Deep
As we move into mid-winter schools of perch have begun to move towards the deeper basin areas of lakes. Sand and mud flats in water deeper than 25 feet are a great place to begin your search for perch. These deeper areas with soft bottom offer a wide variety of food for perch. Although I have caught perch suspended, I rarely begin far off bottom. Yellow perch are notorious for feeding very close to bottom mainly targeting tiny invertebrates, small minnows and even young of the year perch. If I am still unable to locate perch, I will first venture into deeper water before moving shallow during mid-winter.

Run and Gun
Nothing is a bigger waste of time than waiting for the fish to come to you. No matter the species you after you will find your catch rate drastically increase if you cover more water actually looking for the next bite. Yes, you will encounter flurries of fish throughout the day but if you really want to put the odds in your favour it is in your best interest to cover as much water as possible. I don’t fish a hole longer than five minutes unless I mark fish on my flasher or actually catch a few fish. Using this method of fishing is hard work and a common mistake made by anglers trying to cover water is leaving an area where the fish are. If your flasher or camera is showing fish, especially big fish stay put longer and start going through your tackle box looking for an offering they like.

Lure Selection
My portable clam always has 4 rods rigged for perch inside when I am on the ice patrolling. Three of the four rods are ultra-light HT Ice Blues and the other one is a medium-light HT Sapphire Ice. By far my most productive bait to catch aggressive perch is the smallest Jigging Rapala available which is always tied on the medium-light rod. Colour doesn’t usually make a difference when active fish are present although I regularly begin with a perch pattern. Tipping Raps with minnow heads, maggots and wax worms adds scent but when the bite is “on” sometimes a bare Rapala is all you need to entice reaction bites. My second rod has a small jigging spoon tied on which is usually a Northland Buckshot rattle spoon. I like to use these spoons for deep water perch because the profile of this spoon is slim and heavy giving yourself the advantage of getting down to the bottom much quicker than with a fluttering spoon. I will also tip a spoon with a minnow, minnow head or a few maggots and waxies. The third rod has some sort of small plastic such as a 1 -1.5” tube or 1-2” grub on a 1/8-1/32 ounce jig head. My fourth and final rod is strictly for dead sticking a hole very close to me, sometimes within arm’s reach. A small Genz Worm or Forage Minnow is found at the end of the line. I hook the smallest shiners I can find just through the lips and set this on or within inches of bottom. Clipping a fin is always a good idea to help add action to the bait.

Use Your Electronics
With the evolution of electronics anglers who do not take advantage of a flasher or underwater camera are missing out not only on catching more perch but understanding how the perch are reacting to their bait on that particular day. Flashers and cameras are not as necessary when the perch are aggressively feeding but are an amazing tool when the fish are in a neutral mood and are hesitant to commit. This is where specific jigging techniques can be mastered and a slow day will quickly turn into a successful day on the water. Flashers are the ultimate search tool. They are easily moved hole to hole and give you the opportunity to see the entire water column. Once I come across a large school of perch and I plan on fishing the area for an extended period of time, the underwater camera is then set up in my portable hut. Having your eyes on the bait and being able to actually see the perch below is a wonderful feeling and an amazing advantage. Although this is great fun, the main reason I drop the camera down is be selective on the perch I actually let eat my presentation. If the school consists of small and big perch I can easily move my bait away from the small ones when they approach and let it rest when the bigger fish are present. Take advantage of technology and combine it your knowledge. With this combination, I can guarantee that you will become a much more efficient angler at not only fooling perch but any other species that swims.

To some people it is always a sad occasion to put the boat to bed, and bid farewell to the open-water season, knowing that it’s a long time till the robin’s make their return. But for me, my smile remains intact, as ice fishing is just around the corner and that means one thing – JUMBO perch. Perch through the ice is one of life’s great pleasures. For many seasoned ice anglers, it is a back to basics approach to fishing; standard and simple rigs, large schools of fish and delicious fillets for the dinner table. For the beginner, it means relatively easy fishing with the possibility of 50 or 100 fish days!

By following these simple tactics and techniques, sticking to lakes that hold quality fish, and spending the time needed to find the fish, you will be on your way to bucket loads of perch and broad smiles. (And who knows, maybe you’ll put the boat to bed with a smile on you face next time too.)

Where are They Hiding?
One key thing to remember when searching for perch is to keep moving. Perch gang up in big schools during the winter, and will spend the days cruising in search of food. If you can intercept one of these untouched schools, you can be sure of great fishing, as long as you give them what they want and are prepared to move with them. Your best bet to start, as soon as the ice is safe enough to venture on to, are the shallows. At the start of the hard-water season, the shallow water bite is on big time, and the fish seem almost suicidal. Your lure will hardly make it down the hole, before another hungry perch grabs your offering with almost reckless abandonment. Action like this can be hot for days or even a week, depending on how hard the shallow fish get pounded. One thing to keep in mind, is that ice fishing for perch is a popular sport, and the ice can become “crowded.” If you can keep ahead of the next guy, and find an untouched school, you will reap the rewards.

Undoubtedly the time will come when the shallows will be devoid of perch. Fish will now be found in deeper, off-shore areas, yet can still be easy to find if you search for them. Begin by trying deeper water adjacent to shallow spawning areas. Another good bet is areas between islands or off of points. Perch will often be found throughout the entire water column, so it is often a good idea to experiment with depths. Unlike the walleye, which is usually found on bottom during the winter, perch will often suspend a foot below the bottom of the ice. The key here is to experiment and probe the depths, and make note how deep that first fish was caught.

A productive way to find out where the fish are, in relation to the lake, is to talk to hut operators or local tackle shops. They will be moreIce fishing for perch con’t .. than happy to give you the information, and this has often saved the day for myself. Another key is to look for the huts and crowds of anglers. Hut operators are in the business to make money, so you know their huts, and paying customers, will be in the vicinity of the fish. Finding these areas can definitely pay off big.

Tactics
The first thing to do, once you arrive on the ice, is to start drilling holes. Drill a half dozen holes in a zigzag pattern over an area that covers approximately 30 yards, and start fishing hole number one. Begin the day with a small spoon, ( tipped with a small shiner or maggot ), or a small tube jig. Try to work all areas of the water column, from a foot below the bottom of the ice, to inches off the bottom of the lake. What you are searching for with these faster-moving presentations are the active fish, which will show you the location of a school. If after five or ten minutes you still haven’t connected, then move to the next hole to see what’s down below. Once you’ve caught a few fish from a hole, it’s time to slow down your presentation, and also set up a secondary line, which will be your tip-up.

The best placement for your tip-up is approximately five to 15 yards from your primary jigging hole. This will be set up close enough to get to quickly, and will also be in the vicinity of the school you located. If the action starts to die down in the area that you’re fishing, it’s simply a matter of moving outwards until you connect with the “migrating” school. Three winters ago this scenario took place, and became one of my fondest fishing memories ever. I was fishing the famed Lake Simcoe in early February, with my two good friends, Scott Fleming and Jason Jones. The weather was glorious, and, in fact, enabled us to fish in just our t-shirts! After the first few holes were cut, we hit pay dirt. Jumbo after jumbo perch were flopping on the ice, and we really had our hands full. At times, all three of us had fish on at the same moment, not to mention our tip-ups being pulled down. However, as soon as the action started it would die down, and we would work our way outward to locate them once again. It didn’t take more than a few holes, and we were knee-deep in fish again. At day’s end our smiles told the tale; a bucket of tasty perch, sun-tanned faces and a whopper of a fish that evened the scales out at one-and-a-half-pounds! Who says ice fishing isn’t fun?

Equipment
For jigging purposes, any good quality, light action rod will do the trick. These will usually be between 18 and 24 inches long and must have a sensitive tip. (This will be necessary in order to work the light-weight lures to their up most effectiveness.) A quality ice rod of this style can usually be found for less than $30. Match this with an ultra-light reel with a smooth drag, and spool it up with two to six-pound-test monofiliment. Use two-pound-test if you are using extremely small baits or if the fish are really finicky. If there is a healthy population of walleye in the lake, it may be best to use six-pound, just in case you hook one of these larger predators. I’ve found that four-pound-test has worked best for me, and is strong enough, yet also supple enough, for perch.

Any of the standard tip-ups will do for perch fishing, as long as they are smooth and sensitive. Many people even use a simple willow-branch, with line attached to one end, out on the ice. Tip-ups are very inexpensive and can be made quite easily from a few pieces of wood. The most effective presentation to use with a tip-up is a spreader rig, which, quite simply put, is a heavy weight attached to your main line, and two or three single hooks spread out from your main line, one to three feet from the bottom. Attach a lively one to one-and-a-half-inch shiner or pinhead minnow through the back, just below the dorsal fin, and you’re on your way.

There is a myriad of lures for perch fishing out on the market, but my best advice is to purchase a half dozen or so, and see which ones work best out on the water. Some of my favourite lures that have produced for me in the past, are any of the spoons in the 1/32 oz. to 1/8th oz., such as the rocker minnow, walleye hawger or rat finkee. Tube jigs in bright or natural colours, in the above mentioned sizes, can also be dynamite, as can the swimming rapala jigs. Experiment with size, colour and tipping options, (shiners, maggots, meal or wax worms), and sooner or later you will ring the dinner bell. Sometimes the simplest presentation can be the key, and often times I’ve produced dozens of fish with a small hook and shiner, slowly jigged up and down. Let the fish dictate what they want, and do not be afraid to try new and different things, in order to limit out.

As you can see, ice fishing for perch is a wonderful way to spend a winter afternoon. By following through with these tactics and techniques, you’ll be on your way to becoming a successful perch fisherman, and will start to appreciate that winter is not the end of the fishing season, and that putting the boat away, is just the beginning to a new angling experience. Have a great ice season and be safe out there.

Targeting perch through the ice is one of my favourite types of hard-water action. Not only are perch relatively easy to catch and often eager to bite, they are one of the best tasting freshwater fish. To help boost your perch fishing results this ice season, here are some tips to put more jumbos on the ice.

Cash-In on the Competitive Nature of Perch
Using an underwater camera, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen a pod of perch move in on a bait in unison. After their initial approach, it rarely takes long for one to jump on the bait before the others. Yes, perch are a competitive breed and as an angler you should use this to your advantage. One way is to fish close to other anglers to keep perch schools in close proximity, generating a bit of competition towards your lures. This also includes fishing your two lines close together, whether dually jigging holes or setting up a dead-stick rod and a small minnow within reaching distance.

It’s also important to ensure you’re working baits with seductive triggering tactics after you attract perch. I favour either slowly swimming a bait upwards or lightly shaking it in place. Both send out signals of vulnerability or an impending attempt at escape. Lastly, don’t forget to tip your baits with minnows, maggots, or highly-scented artificial baits. Flavour helps to trigger hits.

Use Electronics
Underwater cameras and flasher units can make a big difference in the number and size of perch you catch in a day. Use these two units in tandem and you’ve got deadly combination.

I can recall marking several aggressive fish on my Vexilar during an outing several years ago. I knew this lake had a huge perch population, so I was eager to hook some. After several minutes with no success, even though the fish I marked seemed aggressive, I lowered my underwater camera. Below were dozens of tiny perch. Now when I see this pattern, I know I need to move to deeper water to find the jumbos.

The benefit to this learning is two-fold, now I know what areas to vacate when searching for big perch based on details from my Vexilar; however, when I spot these small sized perch schools near points or deep water breaks I take note and return to them at dusk. Walleye will often target these pint-sized perch at dusk and being on these areas before sunset can result in some hot action.

You can also use underwater cameras to selectively hook the larger perch in a school if you’re after jumbos for the frying pan. Sometimes smaller fish are the first to get to the bait. If you pull the lure away from them and position it towards a jumbo you can sometimes get the bigger ones to bite. Lastly, electronics provide you with great feedback on how fish are reacting to your presentation. This allows you to modify your jigging moves to match their disposition and experiment with tactics until you find the right combination to trigger hits.

Get on Prime Structure
I alluded to it above, but ensuring you’re on prime structure and the most productive jumbo perch spots will result in better catches. This often equates to moving away from shallow water and to deeper areas. On most lakes I fish, I tend to find jumbos in anywhere from 12 to 30 feet of water and often suspended at various depths in the water column. Reefs, long points, and deep water inlets that lead into shallow bays, are all prime areas to search for wintertime perch. Using hydrographic maps or pre-scouting areas in the fall with a GPS unit are two great ways to locate these structures so you can fish them come winter.

Keep these methods in mind on your next perch ice fishing outing. You’ll put more jumbos on the ice and have a few more for the frying pan at home.

Photos by Tim Allard

A good perch bite is tough to beat during the ice fishing season. Aggressive and competitive, once you get a school of jumbos riled up you can often put a few on ice before they move on. Soft-bottom flats are a great spot to search out perch. Here are some tips on fishing these areas.

Flat Features
Look for flats near deep water. Nearby shallow areas can be a bonus on some lakes but aren’t mandatory. Eighteen feet usually marks the productive start of flats, with 25-35 feet being a magic range for jumbos.

An easy way to find out if the flat has a soft bottom is lowering an underwater camera. Rocks and sand grass can be good, but you want sticky mud. If you don’t have a camera, trying on a heavy spoon and thumbing it on bottom while using a sensitive rod can work too. If the spoon sticks as you pull it up slowly, you’ve found good bottom composition.

Flat Food
Perch are attracted to soft-bottom areas for food. The flat’s sediment is home to a variety of larvae, nymphs, tiny baitfish and crustaceans. On one lake I fish, perch gorge on small bloodworms (chironomid larvae). Once you catch your first perch, pay close attention to any morsels it spits up as you unhook it. This can give you important tips on what size and color of baits to use.

Use Big Baits First
Although some of the food perch feed on may be less than a ¼-inch in size, I often try and fool them first with big lures. Spoons between one- to two-inches in length or small swimbaits are two of my favorite lures. These baits sink quickly and emit a lot of flash and vibrations. These traits are great to get perch’s attention.

Downsize as Needed
I downsize when I can’t trigger perch with bigger baits. This is often the case when fishing post-cold front conditions or during mid winter. Tiny micro jigs tipped with maggots or artificial baits will fool perch too shy to hit a larger offering. Fish these baits near the bottom and don’t overwork them; sometimes dead sticking is the best option.

Stir Up the Muck
Whether you’re using a big spoon or a tiny jig, I recommend popping lures in and out of the sticky bottom. The silt cloud this creates resembles perch feeding activity. This trick can quick call in perch from quite a distance. Just don’t overdo the tactic; you only need a few hops with the bait to stir up sediment.

Drill Lots of Holes
Drilling and fishing a lot of holes is a good way to cover a flat for roaming perch. Also, having plenty of holes drilled lets you jig a nearby hole when your buddy hooks perch. This tactic is effective to keep a school’s attention so they’ll stay in the area longer and you can catch more of them. You can sometimes follow a moving school by trying a bunch of pre-drilled holes.

Stay till Dark
Stay to fish at dusk if you’ve caught a few perch off a flat but haven’t experience hot action during the day. Jumbo perch often get active during twilight. Be ready for this flurry. Get gear and lights organized well before the bite starts; the action can be incredible and you don’t want to miss it fumbling with gear in the darkness.

Soft-bottom flats are one of many great perch spots. The sticky silt holds a buffet of perch delicacies. Find these areas and fish them with a variety of baits and you’ll catch plenty of jumbo perch. Don’t be afraid of the dark either. Night can bring out the biggest jumbos the flat has to offer.

Photos by Tim Allard

Getting into steady action from a biting school of jumbos is every perchers dream. Ultimately, the more diverse of an angler the better prepared you’ll be to handle whatever fish throw at you. Here are five important tips to keep in mind when the bite gets tough.

Gear Up to be Mobile
Perch roam and so should you. For those on foot, a tall pail to hold your sonar and tackle along with a rod case, backpack and a small sled in combination with a layered clothing system is perfect for scouring structures on mild winter days. Shelters offer more in terms of comfort, just don’t get too lackadaisical; if the fish aren’t biting and move till you find active ones.

Drill Lots of Holes
Nothing spooks shallow-water perch faster then popping fresh holes over their heads. Instead drill plenty of holes before the prime bite periods, such as dawn and dusk, and give fish have a chance to settle after the noise. Also, having plenty of holes in all directions helps your fishing party track the direction of a roaming school. Once the bite slows, spread out and fish the pre-drilled holes. Odds are someone will hook one and the rest can follow.

Gain Confidence in Flats
Although perch inhabit an array of areas in winter, flats often top their list. Shallow flats usually contain a mix of cover but deep flats in what appears to be the middle of nowhere can be intimidating. Of course, these areas aren’t void of perch-attracting features. Food, oxygen, and the low-risk of being ambushed by predators are reasons they school on flats. Think of flats as underwater plains for grazing perch. If you’re not comfortable fishing flats, gaining confidence in them will boost your perch-fishing game.

Master the Various Types of Spoons
The flash, vibration and optional rattles of spoons makes them perfect to cover water and trigger perch. Carry an assortment of the following.

Straight spoons have the least action but still put out plenty of flash. They’re effective to quickly reach bottom in deep water or to target less aggressive perch uninterested in wild, fluttering spoons. Good options are Northland’s Buck-Shot Rattle Spoon, Bay de Noc’s Swedish Pimple, or Acme Lure’s Kastmaster.

Bent spoons deliver more flutter and flash; the bigger the bend the more action. They provide more hang-time on the fall and their wild action appeals to competitive and wound-up perch. Examples include: Northland’s Fire-Eye Minnow, Custom Jigs and Spins’ Slender Spoon, Acme Lure’s Phoebe, and William’s Wabler.

Spoons for Perch Fishing
Glider spoons like Bay de Noc’s Vingla or Lindy’s Techni-Glo Rattl’n Flyer form another category. They fly out to the side on slack line and cover more horizontal space beneath the ice. Letting them fall to bottom, and then slowing dragging them back to centre with a slow arm raise, kicks up silt and attracts perch.

Late Ice = Jumbos
Late ice is the best time to search for trophy catches as females balloon to jumbo proportions from egg production. Fish deep edges on sand or gravel flats near spawning areas, or in their mating habitat of shallow bays, shorelines and tributaries featuring vegetation and/or wood. Perch feeding activity peaks pre-spawn and they’re easy targets for savvy ice anglers. Remember to practice selective harvest during this time. Releasing big fish helps the fishery continue to offer consistent action for years to come.

Drilling plenty of holes and being mobile are two critical parts of winter perch success, especially when working extensive flats which often hold jumbos. Spoons are one of the deadliest baits out there, so learn the different types and how to use them. Lastly, remember last ice often provides the best action when it comes to trophies, but remember to practice selective harvest and let bigger fish go so they can spawn in spring.

Perch can be a funny bunch. Doesn’t it seem like you catch more of them when targeting other species instead of when you’re actually fishing for perch? 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. It is actually quite the accomplishment to consistently catch perch throughout the entire winter season. One, I haven’t yet mastered. 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.

Deep Basin Perch
Some of the finest perch fishing of the year can be had on the deep basin portions of a body of water. Usually during first ice and into mid-winter perch can be found in depths of 60-80Perch Fishing feet in many lakes. This is where your power auger is going to be a key ingredient for having a successful day on the ice. 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. Once you do find a school of perch your next challenge is going to be getting down to the strike zone. The quicker you get down to the fish the better. The time it will take for your lure to hit bottom cuts into your catch rate. 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. I love swimming lures but I especially like them for deep water perch. Perch is my favourite pattern with fluorescent orange a close second. I jig aggressively while keeping a close eye on my flasher trying to call in perch from a distance. Once I mark fish or several fish, I will continue to jig but with longer pauses. Trying to get perch to rise off the bottom is actually the most difficult task. Once they do a strike will usually soon follow.

Transition Perch
Perch moving from deep to shallow water are what I like to call transition perch. Simply, they are making the transition from deep to shallow. There is a spot I like to fish, late in the season. It is located directly in front of a large weedy bay. I know that perch use this bay to spawn and I try to cross paths with them moving from the deep water, in. These perch don’t stick around for very long period of time. A run and gun technique can either be a good or really bad choice. Since the late season has much warmer weather, I don’t mind moving around. 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.

Weed Perch
Although, I do catch perch in the weeds throughout the entire winter, most of my success will comes during the mid-late ice season. 15 feet and shallower is where I like to probe the weed patches for perch. During mid-winter, I can still find some nice, green weeds but into the last month of the season this often changes. The general rule is green is good and brown is bad. Small spoons like forage minnows have a long, narrow profile and great action for lightly jigging up these weed perch. Small plastics such as micro tube jigs and bug imitations are also a good choice when targeting fish in weeds. 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. 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. They don’t need much, if anything to entice a strike. 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.