Reprinted from the February 2001 issue of Fishing Facts

Without a doubt, no fish species gets winter anglers worked up into a lather faster than jumbo perch. And with good reason: perch are excellent eating, generally easy to catch, and the larger ones put up a pretty good scrap on light tackle. Depending on where you’re going perch fishing, however, you’ll have to adjust your tactics to up your odds and increase your success, because perch in different lakes react to different presentations.

Take North Dakota’s Devils Lake, for instance. This basin lake looks more like a reservoir from the air: a million trees partially or totally submerged, dozens of points and bays with twists and turns, plus old creek channels and roadbeds. A 50,000-acre lake in the ‘90s, years of above-average rains and snowfall have increased Devils Lake to over 190,000 acres in size. Flooded grasses have provided ample new spawning habitat for all species, and the perch population has exploded. So has the average size. Responsible is a huge increase in the number s of freshwater shrimp, the primary perch forage. These tiny invertebrates, about an inch long and grey or black in color, literally coat the mud lake bottom by the zillions. The perch gorge.

Typical upper Midwest perch tactics generally fail on Devils Lake. Here, smaller is better; anglers using light horizontal jigs that imitate the motion of the shrimp catch the most fish. Segmented jigs (with round, molded body styles), or small lead heads with the eyelet centered work best. Almost everyone eschews minnows here—jigs tipped with Eurolarvae, maggots (spikes), or wax worms get the upper hand. Ice fishing guru Dave Genz likes to call his lures “small jigs that fish heavy.” These are the lures you’ll want to use for perchin’ on Devils Lake.

Deep water is the key, usually at least 20 feet but, but sometimes as deep as 40 feet. To get small jigs down deep is a trick. Plan A is to pinch several small splitshot 9 to 18 inches above the jig. Plan B is the local tactic of taking a 1/2- to 1-ounce welding rod, hammering each end, drilling a hole in each end, and splicing the rod inline about 6 inches above the jig. The “dropper” has to be shorter than the welding rod to avoid tangles. Crude, but effective. The rod drops to the bottom like a rock, and Devils Lake perch often aren’t finicky. They’ll clobber the jig even though it’s suspended from a heavy weight.

Light line is the key to most successful perch outings. Spool up with 2- or 4-pound monofilament on a quality ice reel. Invest in a quality graphite ice fishing rod about 24 inches long. If you’re worried about the durability factor of brittle graphite, buy a padded rod cast to protect your investment or buy fiberglass graphite composites that can stand the abuse of rattling around in a bucket.

Next tip: Don’t buy “whiplash” rods that are so soft in the tip that they wiggle like a wet noodle when you hold them. Perch fishing in general—and deep water/big water perch fishing specifically—does not call for rod tips with no control and a rod with no backbone. Several manufacturers produce excellent perchin’ rods with a solid base up the rod about two-thirds of the way, with a sensitive but steady tip. A tip with some control allows you to impart much better action to your jig—lure control is the key to more fish. You’ll also be able to set the hook better in deep water using a rod with some spine. Don’t worry, the right rod will give you plenty of flex to fight the fish on the way up, as will a quality spinning reel with a good drag system and a backreel switch.

Non-noodle rods are also important if you’re targeting perch on lakes like Minnesota’s Winnibigoshish, Mille Lacs, or Lake of the Woods. One, on these lakes you’re likely to encounter walleyes—and some big ones—right in with the perch, and you don’t want to be undergunned up against a 5-pound ‘eye. Two, these lakes require lures quite different from a lake like Devils where shrimp are the forage. On Big Winnie, Mille Lacs, and Lake of the Woods, the perch are eating minnows. Yes, they sometimes snack on grubs they find by rooting around in the mud basin, but minnows are prevalent and targeted by schools of roaming jumbos.

Heavy jigging spoons are the key to success on the big Minnesota lakes. You can’t control a jigging spoon on a noodle rod. Jigging spoons sink fast in deep water so it’s easy to get right back to the bottom where the perch are feeding. Well-designed jigging spoons deliver an enticing flutter when pumped on a quality graphite ice rod. Tip the treble on the spoon with the head of a minnow (just pinch the body off with your thumb). A little blood in the water always gets the sharks in a frenzy, and jumbo perch act just like sharks in the winter. Sure, you have to look for the schools, since they roam and hold alternately on sand flats, gravel basins, or mud basin areas, but once you locate them, they’ll eat. Only the most severe cold fronts stifle their appetite.

Get spoons in a variety of sizes in case you need to downsize. Some days, for whatever reason, the perch will avoid the larger versions of spoons, but will be suckers for miniaturized versions of the same style. Often, color is unimportant, but don’t hesitate to experiment. Perch love variations of green, chartreuse, yellow, red, and orange. On some days, glow will be the ticket, but the action of the lure is much more important than the color. If you select the right action, you’ll see the perch rise feet off the bottom to meet your offering as it flutters down. Those are the days you can have a heck of a satisfying fish fry.

“See the perch rise feet off the bottom to meet you offering.” The only way to do this is with good electronics or an underwater camera. You shouldn’t be venturing iceward without a flasher and/or and underwater camera. Seasoned ice anglers have been using flashers for years. Electronics help you find fish, and more importantly, allow you to watch the fish react to your presentation. Seeing perch rise off bottom to bite your lure means you’ve found a trigger; perch scattering as your lure drops to meet them means you best try something else pronto. Electronics teach you plenty; underwater cameras add yet another dimension.

Perch fishing in the winter. Hard to beat. And hard not to have a good time and catch lots of fish if you’re properly equipped.

For more insight and tips for fishing throughout the year, check out the articles in every issue of MidWest Outdoors, available by subscribing on our website.