Lake Erie Perch

[jimski2]

The past couple days a couple boats came in with 50+ boxes of large perch, mostly spawned out females over 12 inches. They were taken in 54 feet of water off Sturgeon Point in the mud bottom with emerald shiners. Moving in closer on the shale banks yielded a lot of gobies and bass. The bite seemed to stop arfter 11:00 AM.

[jimski2]

The Southtowns Walleye Club Perch Contest was held yesterday with the winners bringing in five perch weighing in about six and a half pounds. Good fellowship and the perch were served in the afternoon at the Armour Fire Hall. Sharing experience is a benefit of joining the club.

The day started at dawn with the heaviest fog condition seen in years. With GPS Plotters everyone willing made it out to their honey holes and back to shore safely. Boat speeds under ten MPH seemed to work to avoid collisions. Not enough fog signals were heard although a freighter blowing his signal made you feel uneasy.

The winning weight for five perch was about six and a half pounds for five perch. The bigger fish were taken in the Seneca Shoal, #2 buoy, area. Everyone entered won with a good catch of perch for their family to enjoy.

[jimski2]

http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/communit ... p?t=174403

Here is a typical cooler of Lake Erie Perch, Ohio limit - 30 perch per day. Thee have been many 150 perch limits brought in lately at the Small Boat Harbor, Sturgeon Point Ramps. You have to search them out, just do not drop the anchor and sit there till it is time to go home. 30% of them are over 12 inches. Bottom hooks are working best.

[jimski2]

The perch bite is still on at Sturgeon Point if you have some river minnows.

[jimski2]

Perch are still coming on strong, they are more numerous and larger than any time in my lifetime. One group came in with 400 perch a week ago. 1/3 were over 12 inches long with 4 fifteen inch perch. Yesterday 3 fellows landed over 100 with one guy reporting 18 double headers in 53 foot of water off Lotus Point.

Get your emerald shiners now when you can.

[T_barb]

What do you attribute the size to? Is it golbies?

[jimski2]

The Canadian commercial perch fishery targets 8 inch to 10 inch perch. They cull the numbers down so as the survivors have the forage to grow faster. Compare them to Chautauqua Lake perch where a 5 year old perch is 10 inches and a Lake Erie perch is 12 inches, nearly twice the weight. The perch also have adapted to eating the mussels, I noticed a lot of perch regugitating mussels and the shells. The shells are crushed into shards and if you look on the beaches you will see a lot of crushed mussel shells, not too many whole unbroken shells.

[jimski2]

This not the way it happens all the time but a good view of what the perch population is in Lake Erie. The mesh size targets the smaller "good eaters" and passes up on the larger breeders. The American waters are not touched also. The amount of perch taken is limited by a bi national committee and the perch harvest has continued successfully for over a century.

[T_barb]

interesting.. thx for sharing

[Pequod1]

Thanks for the updates on the perch. I am planning a trip out of Silver Creek Monday but the info I get out of Jeromes Bait store isn't the best. If anyone goes out before that please post an update. A hundred miles is a lot of driving if they are not there. Thanks.

[jimski2]

We hit over 100 perch the other day in 53 foot of water off Lotus Point. A lot of boats fish slightly west of the creek. Look for boats pulling in perch, a good sign or use your graph on bottom lock 4X zoom to see fish in the bottom 5 foot of water. If you are catching gobies, go out to deeper water.

[Pequod1]

Looks like a good day for Monday. I have been at Silver creek a dozen times. Sometimes it is very good, and other times just fair. Interesting how the perch hand in 5-10' here around Sodus. It is more a stalk and fish thing. Got to be very quiet and use the electric motor. The water is usually clear and they spook easily, but you can watch them as they swim around.

[jimski2]

Yesterday the perch were hard to find but we came in with 16 12 to 14 inch perch in 52 foot of water next to the 40 foot dropoff by Hanford Bay. The other boat with us came in with 20 large ones.

The emeralds are starting to be hard to come by in the river now. One boat on channel 68 reported finding good numbers of small perch out at 65 foot off Silver Creek.

[Pequod1]

I decided to go to the small boat harbor for eyes . Got to watch Rebs put on a walleye clinic.

[jimski2]

Several perch came in with small gobies coming out of their mouths, so they must be feeding on them also.

[jimski2]

We were picking up perch trolling in 70 foot of water. The screen showed a lot of them on the bottom there but none in less than 65 foot.

[jimski2]

Two of us landed 26 perch, 65 to 70 foot of water off the Catt, 11:30AM to 2:00PM. Used goldens from Millers Bait.

Nice day out there.

[Mark Komo]

Wasnt fishing for perch, but was fishing the rock mud transition just oustide of Evangelo (I think) state part. Seen the beaches. Pleanty of perch in 40 to 42 FOW.

[jimski2]

http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/communit ... p?t=181560

A good tip here for the bait situation.

[Shorthanded]

Jim, what type rig are you using? drop shot?

jack

[Mark Komo]

We got some nice perch off our drop shot rigs using jackall tritails.

This rock/mud transition is exactly the type we fished back when I was in the midwest. We got the occassional walleye too. We had super secret rig for this kinda fishing. I am gonna have to test it out and report back.

[jimski2]

I use light action spinning rods with ten pound braid. Wal Mart # 4 an #6 Eagle Claw or Tru Turn hooks at a buck a pack that I attach directly to the braid with a palomar knot, no snaps or swivels for good vibration and bite feel. An Old Pete's perch lure colored sinker with a hook on the bottom or a bell sinker about a half ounce will work well when anchored up. The bottom hook must lie on the mud below the sinker which is the most productive hook. A couple hooks above it about twelve inches and three foot are good also. I hook the minnow through the head so the current or drift will keep them from spinning too bad. The dead stick method with the sinker in the mud works well and occasional lifts of the rod can pull in nearby fish.

The most important deal is to have a good graph that indicates fish on the bottom and do not anchor up till you find them. You also have to pull the anchor and search again when things slow down. Some days we just drift with a drift sock and watch your trail on the gps when you hit fish, go back over the spot or set your anchor there. The last thing you want to do is anchor up and wait for the fish to come to you.

The warm summer waters have stacked the fish out deep and it is like shooting fish in a barrel when you find them.

You need a large cooler with ice to save your fish for cleaning, these hot days will turn the fish bad with white gills and cloudy eyes. After you get home, more ice can be added so you can clean your fish the next day as you will be tired form fishing and traveling all day.

[cripples]

Jimski, I live near Braddock's Bay, we get good runs of perch in the fall. Where do you think I would find the perch this time of year? My guess is out in the lake, but where??? I like the rig set up you described in your last post, I will definitely give that a shot. Thanks for any ideas you may have to share.

[jimski2]

I would look where the thermocline meets the bottom. Perch are bottom feeders, so look in the bottom 10 foot of your picture on your fishfinder graph.

[Shorthanded]

thanks jim