Weedline Perch
"Skyscraper"perch, is a term that describes abnormally tall perch. On a recent early-ice fishing trip, we stumbled into large perch while targeting bluegill and crappie on the edge of a weedline.
The transition from shallow weedy flats to a deeper basin is one of the best places to ice fish throughout the ice fishing season. Fish are drawn to this type of structure because it provides them easy access to forage - the basin, which contains bloodworms and numerous aquatic insects. Furthermore, weeds provide fish an opportunity to quickly escape from pursuing predators. It is very difficult to locate a break from weeds to basin, so patience, the grace of God, and certain ice fishing electronic tools are required to locate these fish hotspots.
First, drill holes every 10 feet away from shore after locating water 10 feet deep. Next, use a fish finder or underwater camera to find this transition. It is difficult to find this transition without the use of electronics(however, it can be done by using a metal depthfinder and bumping the bottom). It is important to remember that fish are not stationary, so finding an approximate location of the break will suffice.
On this particular trip, the technique that I used was tiny 3mm and 4mm Fiskas tungsten jigs tipped with a whole waxworm threaded on. Although perch predominately live on or near the bottom, I was catching these perch 3-4 feet off the bottom (in about 11 feet of water) by raising my lure up above the school and making an aggressive fish come out of the school to pursue its meal. It is important to notice how this method usually caught large perch, and the whole school, which comprised of all different sizes of perch, was winnowed down to only the larger fish - a testament to how small baits and subtle presentation can still catch big fish. We also caught crappie and bluegill in this spot, speaking to the possible diversity of fish that this technique can yield.
The transition from shallow weedy flats to a deeper basin is one of the best places to ice fish throughout the ice fishing season. Fish are drawn to this type of structure because it provides them easy access to forage - the basin, which contains bloodworms and numerous aquatic insects. Furthermore, weeds provide fish an opportunity to quickly escape from pursuing predators. It is very difficult to locate a break from weeds to basin, so patience, the grace of God, and certain ice fishing electronic tools are required to locate these fish hotspots.
First, drill holes every 10 feet away from shore after locating water 10 feet deep. Next, use a fish finder or underwater camera to find this transition. It is difficult to find this transition without the use of electronics(however, it can be done by using a metal depthfinder and bumping the bottom). It is important to remember that fish are not stationary, so finding an approximate location of the break will suffice.
On this particular trip, the technique that I used was tiny 3mm and 4mm Fiskas tungsten jigs tipped with a whole waxworm threaded on. Although perch predominately live on or near the bottom, I was catching these perch 3-4 feet off the bottom (in about 11 feet of water) by raising my lure up above the school and making an aggressive fish come out of the school to pursue its meal. It is important to notice how this method usually caught large perch, and the whole school, which comprised of all different sizes of perch, was winnowed down to only the larger fish - a testament to how small baits and subtle presentation can still catch big fish. We also caught crappie and bluegill in this spot, speaking to the possible diversity of fish that this technique can yield.
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| An example of a nice bluegill |
Stay warm and safe, God Bless!
Paul - 01.05.18
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