Favorate Perch fishing lure and technique

[Skeeter]

I have mostly fished Walleye ice fishing so am wondering what you guys and gals use to catch winter time fish. Which type lure, size hook, do you seem to have best luck with. Thanks in advance.

[Houghton laker]

For myself when the perch are in a good biting mood I like to use a silver russian hook with just a perch eye on it!! Sometimes you can fill the bucket with this combination! when things are a little slower I don't think you can beat the old teardrop and minnow under a bobber technique !!

[Ed Michrina]

Swedish Pimple size # 3 with the single hook in emerald or glow color. depending on the mood of the perch. I'll tip the hook with a whole minnow, half minnow or head and when they are going strong a red rubber bead.

[jeremy L]

1. Smallest silver swedish pimple they make tipped with small minnow or minnow head.

2. 1/4 or 1/8 ounce blue/silver cleo with small minnow or minnow head.

3. Do jigger blue/silver in smallest size with minnow or minnow head. .

4. Stinger scropion trolling spoon in many different colors with minnow or minnow head.

5 Ole teardrop with minnow or waxie.

The first four are by far what i get most of my perch, and other fish while on the ice, on.

A slow up/down jig from just above the bottom to about a foot or so off the bottom with every once/while pulling the lure all the way to the underside of the ice and then letting it flutter back down to the bottom so it kicks up mud. Sometimes that trick is all that will work.

BTW, i leave all the spoons hooks alone, so they all have treble hooks.

[DANN09]

Tube jig in chartrues/red on a 1/32oz jig. Hook the tube on the jig backwards and fish right off the bottom.

[Connor4501]

Became pretty hooked on the teardrop and wiggler combination. Wigglers outproduced minnows about 10 to 1 at Selfridge last winter, but since wigglers aren't usually available until after the New Year, I jig a teardrop and spikes until then. Wigglers are expensive and don't stay on the hook well, but they have certainly been worth it to me. I'm gonna do a little scouting around for a litte rubber wiggler imitation. With any luck, it should work.

[Ed Michrina]

Connor esp at Selfridge when the bite is on Wigglers. The perch will also go crazy for perch eyes on a tear drop. I don't know why

[garyrodbender]

Best perch catching lure for me so far has been the chartreuse Hali/ perch minnow,wiggler,or perch eye. The big ones seem to like the seperation this lure gives with the chain then the hook n bait . I`ve noticed, when the perch seem to slow down, the best lure is the next one you tie-on (changing color usually works)...When we goin`???

[Ken Martin]

Last year we did real well at S River Rd with a size 3 Fire Tiger Jigging Rapala. Take the treble off and put the next size up on and add a red anise bead. I haven't used bait in 2 years but In the back basin at metro I like a pimple with a 2 inch dropper and a 1/64 oz jig and a minnow head or bead.

Ken

[Connor4501]

You're right Ken. And that's about all that caught em in there whenever I was out there. What was frustrating was that I usually didn't have any with me!!!:mad:

[Skeeter]

Soon as I can get a spot with safe ice. I am not one for any kind of unsafe ice or real early ice. I weigh 250 LOLOL

[riverboy]

Up here on the Saginaw Bay, I mainly use Jack hooks with a green, white, red, or purple bead. No bait. Or a small teardrop with a small minnow. Normally Im only in 1 to 5 ft of water.

[Ralph Smith]

I usually use teardrop and minnows or waxies, but have heard that wigglers are the best. Is there anyway of preserving wigglers for this time of year? I was in U.P. once for herring, and this old timer showed me all these mayflies that had been picked off the walls at night, and put them in quart canning jars with rubbing alchohol. Said it keeps them good to use nest season till the hatch come. Has anyone heard of this? Also, thought of trying this for wigglers. If it would work, would but wigglers in bulk like waxies! Thanks for any info.

[BigEyeHunter]

My ice fishing normally takes place on st. Clair. I always put down a nice shiner on a small teardrop under a float. then on my second rod i'll jig a small teardrop w/ either spikes or a wiggler. On most day the shiner outproduce all other combinations. I have found that I end up getting more Dinks on the wigglers, spikes. There are those rare days when the wigglers, spikes will produce nice fish.

[Ed Michrina]

Ralph Smith I went to a bait store in Ludington to look for Wigglers! the guy had what he called "preserved" Wigglers. They were just dead Wigglers. I don't recall smelling anything IE: alcohol in the water that they were in. I can tell ya they stayed on a hook as well as live ones. Possibly you could freeze them in water and thaw as needed?

[Bucktail Butch]

I got this recipe for preserving wigglers from my old fishing partner, George Richey. He passed away several months ago. God, I miss that guy.

Mix one pint of water and 2 ounces of Boric Acid.
Heat to boiling. When it begins to boil, dump in
wigglers and boil for 2 minutes. Drain. Spread
out to dry or dry with a hair drier. Keep in refrig.

I don't know for sure how long they will keep, but quite a while. I'm also not sure if you could freeze them either, but I suspect they might get mushy when thawed.

My personal favorite way of fishing for perch is to jig a #5 Swedish Pimple in the hammered Silver finish with the single hook and a headhooked perch minnow. My second rod would be a dead rod setup with a tailhooked perch minnow on a 1/32 ounce jig.

Butch

[Molson]

As the previous posts...

riverboy said... on "the bay" use jacks with beads.

Houghton Lakeer said ... silver russian hook with perch eyes (use them also on the bay, sometimes with rubber eggs or beads)

Bucktail Brush... yes they can be frozen, however the quality does diminish after freezing and re-freezing. But they sure keep along time.