They’re older, wiser and very selective. But they’re also incredibly tasty and respectably sporty light tackle targets.
That’s why Brian “Bro” Brosdahl doesn’t mind putting in the time to track down the jumbo yellow perch that often require more than the usual treatment. Plenty of perch fall for jigs and other artificials, but when dealing with the pickiest of perch, the Minnesota guide knows that nothing fools ‘em faster than the real thing.
“I always bring live bait, because even on big water, the bigger fish have had a lot of baits dropped on them,” Brosdahl said. “They come up on those flats and they get chased constantly.”
No doubt, bringing a plump perch to the dinner table’s no easy task. But not to worry, Brosdahl shared a few tips and tricks for taking the tough ones into biting.
Where to Look
Brosdahl favors areas with expansive shallow flats with 7 to 12 feet of water and a mix of sand and grass, water cabbage or Chara pillows (an unrooted vegetation also called Muskgrass, Stonewort, or sand grass). This habitat, he said, holds lots of food, including the crayfish that perch target during their vulnerable molting phase.
“I also like to see small, crumbled ‘tennis ball’ rocks,” Brosdahl said. “Perch like to see a long way for predators, so they’ll graze across these flat areas.”
While the right neighborhood is critical, timing also matters.
“Every lake has a time when the fish are up shallow feeding,” Brosdahl said. “They don’t stay up the entire month, so pay attention to when anglers are posting pictures and reports.
“If they’re not on the flats, look for schools of perch over basin humps. They won’t be on the sharp breaks like bass and walleye; they’ll be holding over those high spots.
“When the time is right, they’ll rise up and feed, but they can drop back into deep water during high pressure.”
Best Baits
Brosdahl targets big perch with a dropshot and his favorite bait is a fathead minnow. The bait’s an easy sell, but he uses a few different presentation styles until he determines the day’s preference.
“I like to T-bone the minnow through the dorsal,” Brosdahl said. “Big perch have a habit of ripping baits off a hook, so this makes it harder for them to steal the bait.”
For a different look, Brosdahl also hooks the minnow behind the head, but if he has a swarm of smaller perch on the flat, he’ll cut the bait in half. This keeps a chunk of fresh meat on the hook long enough for a large, dominant fish to bully its way in for the take.
Live Bait Perch Rig
Brosdahl likes to set up his dropshot so the bait holds about a foot off bottom. He’ll adjust his weight based on depth, but he stresses the visual appeal of colored Gamakatsu octopus hooks and glow beads. Brosdahl’s go-to is a No. 4 glow white hook and a green glow bead, but if the bite is tough, he’ll experiment with other options.
“Try other colors like an orange hook with a red bead for a crayfish look,” Brosdahl said. “Also, perch sometimes cannibalize the young ones, so I’ll use an orange hook with a green bead.”
If he really wants to push the authenticity, Brosdahl will use an orange hook with a black bead next to a green bead. Another variation: Green hook, black bead, orange bead.
“The black bead looks like a stripe,” Brosdahl said. “In gin clear water, details matter, especially if you’re after the jumbos. Just keep a tackle box with multiple colors so you have options.”
Brosdahl targets his perch with an ultralight rod with 8-pound braided main line and a 6-pound fluorocarbon leader. Such an outfit will handle the biggest perch he’s likely to encounter, but given the species’ delicate lips, he’ll keep a dip net handy for controlled lifts.
Great Plan for a Great Lake
Lake Erie guide Kevin Swartz also likes his natural baits, but for charters more interested in numbers than giant hunts, he’ll use a modified rig. His preference: a dropshot with two snelled hooks on 30-pound monofilament droppers, then a bell sinker on the bottom. For maximum presentation, Swartz runs a third dropper hook off the snap that connects the bell sinker.
Fishing Erie’s Western Basin from Huron, Ohio to Michigan waters, Swartz looks for perch-holding structures such as rocks or buoy chain anchors as deep as 40 feet. Typically baiting his multi-hook rig with emerald shiners, he’s not opposed to live presentations — he simply knows it’s not practical for his target zone.
“Once you hook a live minnow, it’s dead before it hits the bottom,” Swartz said. “If I get large (baits) in the 3-inch range, I’ll cut them into thirds.”
Swartz knows that once he finds an active group, the perch bite offers non-stop action. To that point, he won’t waste time with indecisive fish.
“If they’re not going to start in 10 minutes, I leave, because those fish aren’t going to bite,” Swartz said. “I say ‘Fish for catchable fish.’ I may spend an hour just looking because they’ll move from day to day.”
