While spring fever is in the air, a hardcore group of ice anglers will ice-fish until the last possible day. For these anglers, including Brian Brosdahl, the best perch fishing is now!

All species of fish become active when their instincts flip a switch. Northern pike and walleyes lumber towards current or water temps that are a degree or two warmer than their surroundings. Crappies, bluegills and bass move in as well, staging in shallow, muddy bottom areas. The biggest perch in the lake become super-aggressive, feeding every day, because they are the first of the panfish species to spawn right at ice-out.

Staging areas

Perch earn their jumbo title now. They look like little footballs as their bellies become swollen and eggs begin to ripen. Their fins become bright orange and yellow. Their scales are brighter yellow in clear lakes or slightly buckskin brown in stained lakes. Schools of jumbos line up near hard-bottom areas that are shoreline-connected in or near weed beds. They need vegetation, wood or something protruding to stick their eggs. On some lakes, they head to old weed beds that may be down and rotten, but have weed stalk stubble, or even deep bullrush stems.

On large bodies of water, it may take a little longer for perch to move into weeds. They school around on hard-bottom flats adjacent to the muddy basin where they can dump down during cold fronts. In just a matter of hours, they can be basin-bound until the next stable weather pattern comes through.

Reluctant to leave

Not every lake is in unison. If there is major insect activity or a large population of young-of-the-year perch, the jumbos hold longer than normal. Why move up on an empty, hard-bottom shelf or weed bed when all the blood worms, mayflies and dragonfly nymphs are active in the basin? All the micro perch are schooled around the insects.

If I don’t find perch in the staging area, I immediately run to the primary muddy basin. Anglers will know they’re getting close to the perch when they start marking tons of bait or insect life on their Humminbird sonars.

Overabundance of forage

In my neck of the woods, now is the time when minnows and young-of-the-year perch are everywhere—several year classes of perch, as a matter of fact. Everywhere we drill for perch, walleyes and crappies, there are schools of little perch hanging around my baits. I have seen this many times before.

I find big schools of perch in a staging area or basin, quickly catch a few on rattle spoons, and the rest are hard to catch. The problem is that they’re full of food. They’re swimming with food all around them! Why would they chase injured or erratic bait when they could just eat an insect or a bloodworm?

Micro and pinpoint bait

Overfed jumbo perch will still inhale a small snack or helpless twitching minnow. For years, my search bait has been a 1/8-ounce Buck-Shot Rattle Spoon. Along with those, I use Bro Bug Spoons, Glass Buck-Shot and Coffin Spoons tied on a 28-inch St. Croix Perch/Eye Spoon ice rod. I have a second 32-inch St. Croix Perch Seeker ice rod tied up with a 1/16-ounce Bro Bug Spoon laced with red maggots or waxworms.

I drop the Bro Bug Spoon down into the basin until it hits the bottom. Pound the bottom a few times to gather attention from the perch. Lift up 3 to 6 inches and move the bait lightly to rock the spoon. It looks like an easy meal that will fit in a full belly. I have a Tungsten Mud Bug with a bloodworm tail or mayfly tail ready to drop and twitch, adding only one maggot or no bait at all to this presentation.

Deadstick in the mud

Finesse jigging is a productive way to catch overfed jumbo perch, but there is a cadence that out-fishes all other movements.

Using your extra ice line is also key. I have a drop shot rig tied on a 32-inch St. Croix Dead Eye deadstick rod. When I find the level that the perch are holding off the bottom, I tie a drop shot at that level. Most of the time, it will be a 6- to 18-inch segment of line to a 1/4-ounce tungsten or lead swivel sinker. Tied above is a finger-length of line with a Gamakatsu size 6 neon orange octopus-style hook, baited with a dorsal-hooked, small to medium fathead minnow. I use Sunline FC 4-pound leader material or 4-pound Sniper.

Simply drop the sinker down until it hits bottom. Put the rod in the holder or tipdown; then reel until the line is tight with the sinker still on the bottom. They can’t resist a tethered minnow stuck at their level. Most of the time, when perch hook themselves, the Dead Eye rod will bend over like a buggy whip. Pick up the rod, sweep the rod tip up and reel at the same time.

There’s lots of action during late ice season, and jigging up jumbo perch is exciting!

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