I’m not sure which I was anticipating more – hooking up with one of the “prehistoric” jumbo perch that I knew swam in my honey hole or the shock on my friend Rick’s face once he saw one. After not getting a sniff out of my freshly drilled hole, I reached over a few feet and dropped the Northland Macho Minnow into an older hole that had begun to narrow. In spite of a warning synapse firing away in my brain, I dropped the lure down anyway and soon came fast to a perch the likes of which I’d never seen before. All would not end well, however, as I found myself staring at a perch so huge I could not squeeze it through the auger hole!
I yelled for my buddy to come as fast as his feet could carry him, not knowing how much longer this perch, which I estimated at about 2 ½ pounds, would stay put. The fish was barely hanging on by a thin membrane on its upper lip. Rick peered into the hole and reflexively let out a “You’ve got to be kidding me.” In one quick motion and before any attempts to spud the hole could begin, the big perch shook its head, the hook slid out and it was gone. Shuteye would be in short supply that night, and I only drifted off when I convinced myself that I would soon get a chance at redemption.
One of the author’s favorite lures for “prehistoric perch” is Northland’s Macho Minnow.
No doubt your opinion of perch directly correlates to your experiences with them. When you’re floating crawlers off the bottom of your favorite trout pond in the hopes of taming a big brown trout and your bait is almost immediately picked apart by hordes of emaciated little “piranha perch,” you could rightfully be forgiven for wishing for the extinction of these little pests. But what a different critter perch become when you jig up a few 12-inch, pot-bellied, brilliantly colored jumbos through the ice, fish so gaudy that they rival trout and make the average black bass appear drab in comparison. And when taken from clean water and deep fried on a skillet, they are as much a treat for the palate as they are for the eyes.
Perca flavenscens, the yellow perch, is one of only a handful of native New England fish. Yes, all those patrician true trout and bass have roots from afar. And nearly anywhere you find ice across this country, the yellow perch is the most sought-after adversary. If you’ve spent your days scoffing at perch, perhaps it’s time to reevaluate your position – and there’s no better way to get on board the yellow perch fan club than to find and successfully catch jumbos.
Target trout ponds and lakes for 2-pound-class perch this winter, such as this one taken by Rick Paone.
Not every water body supports big perch. Being an indigenous species, the yellow perch is nothing if not ideally adapted to our lakes and ponds, and because of this, it can become ubiquitous to the point where it reaches plague-like proportions and dominates a water body with stunted, famished yellows. If you know a pond such as this, steer clear; you’re not going to find the Holy Grail of jumbo yellows there. Seek water that is less harried and features characteristics that support the growth of oversized perch.
Some water bodies that fit the bill are trout ponds, which often harbor smaller numbers of big perch that are ignored by those that pursue more “noble” fish. Usually when jumbo perch are encountered here, it is by happenstance, and they are seldom directly targeted. But there is a world of difference in the proper methods to fish for trout and perch. An example of this is Lake Mattawa in Orange, Massachusetts, which is a heavily stocked trout and salmon lake and gets scant attention for warm-water species. Yet every year, 1 ½- to 2-pound yellow perch are bested there through the ice and, again, they are almost always taken by accident. To say that this lake is on my must-fish list this year is an understatement, but when I plop a few of these prized perch onto the ice, it will hardly be unintentional.
Bro Brosdahl makes an especially sweet Frabill ice jigging set-up that telegraphs the slightest taps.
-photo courtesy of Frabill
Ponds and lakes that don’t freeze well or for very long periods are ones to target, when conditions warrant, of course. There are several reasons for this. First of all, if a pond remains primarily open, it stays well-oxygenated, reducing the possibility of winter die-off from lack of oxygen. Secondly, the lack of ice-fishing pressure when there is little ice takes an enormous strain off the fish, especially aggressive species such as perch. This is why you will often see some of the biggest yellow perch in New England coming from Cape Cod ponds after a stretch of mild winters. The fish are simply less pummeled than when anglers are able to stand over them for weeks.
A little homework courtesy of Masswildlife can give you a good starting point. Research the ponds that have produced “gold pin” perch during the annual Sportfishing Awards program. You may notice a pattern where the same ponds, or maybe similar ponds, produce repeat winners. By similar, I mean ponds that might be the headwater of a herring run or have landlocked alewives or smelt. I recall years ago when I received the gold pin in the yellow perch category and ended up tying for the top-spot with another angler. After finding out where my counterpart caught his fish, I did a little on-line research and found out that this place was the head of a herring run. I was determined to give it a go the next season, and after having success there, I soon added it to my collection of favorites.
One of my favorite perch spots is in the middle of urban mania, and what makes it so special is that the lakes are really part of a river system, and current prevents it from making solid ice in all but the coldest winters. Rest assured that when Mr. Freeze locks it up, I’ll be drilling holes on that water body in the hopes of getting my big perch fix. What allows this place to grow perch to eye-popping proportions is that it is a natal watershed for alewives and blueback herring. All predators that swim here benefit from the bounty, and the perch are no exception. I know that there are big bass in here, and even some errant exotics such as holdover striped bass and broodstock salmon, and while I’m sorely tempted, I’m not easily deterred by ancillary angling when there are big perch to be found.
Other necessary components for finding jumbo perch are relatively clear water, a paucity of thick weeds, and soft-bottomed basins where crayfish and insect larvae flourish. Big perch love crayfish, and I have found jumbos so full of them that claws were sticking out of their gullets. Some weed growth is necessary for young to seek sanctuary from predators and for adults to attach their eggs in the spring, but too much vegetation limits feeding opportunities. Unlike pickerel and bass, perch are not ambush predators but are more inclined to pin baitfish against structure or depth breaks, or grub along soft bottom, which is a clue on one of the ways to fish for them in winter.
Perch will generally congregate in shallow water early in the season, and move deeper as the ice thickens.
-photo by Andy Nabreski
The movement of perch could be best summarized by: “shallow at first, then deep and then shallow again.” Meaning that at first ice, when shallow weeds are still alive, perch will be hovering just outside of them. But as the winter strengthens, they sulk out to deeper areas, especially muddy flats. Come spring, it is pre-spawn time and they will invade shallower areas again. Then it becomes pivotal to look for them near standing vegetation, such as reeds and bulrushes, that occasionally protrude through the ice. After ice-out, perch will spawn there and the females will attach their eggs to these weeds.
Above all, your search for perch should begin and end near the bottom. While yellows will occasionally suspend under baitfish, it is the exception rather than the rule. I cannot emphasize strongly enough the need to drop your offering to the bottom as quickly as possible and work it exclusively near the bottom. If it’s possible to make a parallel between perch and flounder, it is that they are both attracted to a roiled, muddy bottom because instinctively they know that a stirred-up floor means food! In the perch’s case, an agitated lake bed means that it is dinner time as insect larva, crustaceans and bottom-hugging minnows are separated from the sediment and become prime time prey.
To extend the flounder comparison a little further, both species are suckers for a technique I like to call “pounding” the bottom. Years ago, I used to target jumbo perch with traps, but once I got the rhythm of pounding the bottom with a variety of lures, I stashed my tilts for other species. Now I exclusively pound for those prehistoric perch with a light jigging stick. Not only is it more effective, it’s but a lot more fun. And when you come tight to a pig of a perch while clutching a feather-light 24-inch rod, you’ll never think of a yellow as a mere panfish again! Noted hardwater addict Bro Brosdahl makes an especially sweet Frabill set-up that really telegraphs the slightest taps.
First of all, put any notion of tiny ice jigs or micro-lures that you would use to target crappie or sunfish completely out of your mind. Not only do you want to heartily embrace the proverbial “big bait, big fish” ethos, but there is additional need for heavier lures so that you can “pound” and stir-up that bottom. I lean toward 1/8-ounce jigs, spoons and soft plastics. I’ve had particular luck with Northland products, such as the super-glo-colored Macho Minnow and the olive, chartreuse and firetiger Bugaboo Finesse Jigs. I use these lures without embellishment, but occasionally add a 4-inch dropper loop with a waxworm or mousie. One addition that I’ve found really makes a difference is the BioEdge crawfish wand and potion that I douse liberally on the dressing of the Bugaboo jig. Another lure that I always have handy is the 2-inch Storm Wildeye Live Perch.
Ice Fishing Electronics
There are some major advantages to having a sonar unit on the ice. You can easily determine bottom depth and locate drop-offs, holes, and humps that can concentrate fish in winter.
Check On The Water’s Guide To Ice Fishing Electronics and find your fish under the ice.
One essential item is a good quality flasher, such as a Vexilar or a Marcum Showdown. Your time is limited, so why waste it looking for fish when a sonar system will point the way? A flasher will tell you if it’s your lucky day and the fish just happen to be directly under your auger hole, but it will also alert you to incoming fish that are interested in your jig. Sometimes you can cull the jumbos out of a mixed school by working your jig just above the main school. The theory is that smaller fish are less prone to rise off the bottom but a plump jumbo has less to fear. You would never know that bigger fish were separating from the school to attack your lure if you didn’t see it on the flasher!
After “pounding” the bottom with the spoon, jig or soft plastic, I’ll often leave it still and just shake the rod, causing the lure to tremble. Sometimes it’ll take a pause to get the fish to strike and other times they will pick up your bait as it rests on the bottom. And there are times that a more vigorous jigging motion excites the fish. Experimentation is the key and also part of the fun.
If your opinion of yellow perch lies somewhere between snagging bottom and a backlashed reel, then obviously you’ve never plucked a “prehistoric” perch from the ice. Scout out a few promising water bodies and employ these proven perch techniques, and you’ll be hard pressed to ever look at them as just a panfish again.
Cook Your Catch
Frozen Fishing And Frozen Fish
No one species is better tasting or more delicious than yellow perch pulled up through the ice.
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