Sk8man

Dragging a jig along bottom will work too

Looks as though some folks are taking this discussion too seriously. I haven't done the balloon thing for more than 30 years. I only keep about 15 perch at most, and most of the time I give them either to friends I am fishing with or I fillet them for elderly folks that can't get out. My view that has been expressed to the DEC more than once is that the current limit of 50 (for the Finger Lakes) is absurd given the popularity of the species, which is also allowed for sale (which I don't support) and the current extreme fishing pressure on them in most places. In addition the advancement of stuff like Panoptics and the like has radically changed the equation as well as the fact that mild winters now allow more concentrated fishing for perch for much more of the season. More and more guys are winter fishing them (which I also do). I imagine my view on it isn't real popular and could generate some negative commentary but this is a forum for discussion so...... If the thread is carefully read it will be noted that the balloon thing was a reference to the past and was half in jest

They gave up on us years ago when someone asked if we went to school with Fred Flintstone

I don't keep any 13 inches plus so when I have done it I attached the balloon to a larger one hoping that it was part of a pack of good ones and they have a little more power to get away from the boat. Just take a length of mono with a size 2 hook on one end and and hook it to the cartilage part of the mouth so it won't easily pull out. Tie up a relatively small balloon and then tie the other end of the line to it. You can usually release the fish afterward as it is often in good shape. They often try to get back to the school so that's your cue

You are welcome on my boat anytime Gill

yep you got it Mike.

Great, but that is not the water clarity we deal with. It looks there as cloudy as after a rain, and yes the perch are less wary in that condition, but all I know is what I have seen during much of my 78 years fishing the Finger Lakes .

When ice fishing if you look down the hole and watch perch when someone makes loud noise on the ice (as in power auger nearby, walking with cleats without snow etc.) they scatter - sometimes for quite awhile before they return. Also, when the water is very clear in shallow water in a boat you can come up on a school, and when someone walks around or moves on the boat they can scatter. Even when they detect movement of the boat in shallow clear water. I've seen it happen dozens of times over many years so it isn't a "random event or behavior".

$2.05 (I'm a big spender)

Frogger. It was probably from arm wrestling Signalman for the honor of pulling up the anchor. Bob: Anyone who thinks they have perch totally figured out is fooling themself. They have become more line shy and more easily spooked by the clear water as Brian says. Spot lock is very useful when the water isn't moderately rough but it can jump the lock under those conditions and can be a constant battle. Sometimes perch want the bait moving so drifting can be more effective and as soon as you stop and lock up or anchor they may stop hitting. Sometimes they respond better to jigs dragged along the bottom and won't touch suspended bait. When anchoring some guys just get in a hurry and throw the anchor out and then wonder why the fish aren't hitting. It pays to gently and quietly slide the anchor into the water; and some folks make a lot of noise walking around in their aluminum boats and drop things on the floor etc.....not great either. If using an anchor it can be productive drifting until you find a school or pod of perch and coast by them and slowly and quietly slide the anchor in the water once past them aways and cast back into them from a bit of a distance. It is especially important to be away from them and not directly on top of them when you stop or anchor. Usually once the boat has been there anchored up awhile the perch can be less skiddish and may end up near and under the boat and it is a matter of trying to keep them there once it happens which is a reason for using one rod as a "dead stick". There are times when perch don't give a rats butt about any of it and will hit regardless of what you are doing.... if you have the right bait.

Yep. A lot of folks call the silver bass and white bass the same thing too. I think the white perch is actually a member of the bass family.

Just different names for the same thing Bill. I think the Silver Bass is kind of a "local" designation. We used to catch bunches of them at May's Point and the Seneca River as a kid.

The unfortunate thing (among many) relating to the use of Artificial Intelligence is that they are now able to couple a photo with the actual voice of someone so it will be very difficult if not impossible to spot some of these scams.