Large Reservoir – Finding Perch

I live near the #4 for numbers and #2 for size for perch reservior on the southern edge of the ice belt. This is a 300 acre pond that is nearly pancake flat on the bottom. The sides were made by pushing dirt up from the inside and are sloped 2:1 with rock riprap along the edges. The perimeter is 3.7 miles and shaped nearly square. Water is about 25 to 30 feet deep, clear water but no weeds. Main perch predators are most likely walleye and catfish, no pike or muskie in this body of water. My guess is that the stocked perch feed mainly on bloodworms and invertebrates with some minnows mixed in.

How would you go about finding perch here? I don’t have a boat to put on this water since there is only a ramp that you can launch boats by hand.

I have caught 9-11″ fish from the bank in open water but have not been able to catch any once the ice is safe. Very few people fish here which makes it even more attractive, but also difficult to locate fish.

I have drilled 50 holes a day and used my vexilar FL-20 to try to find fish. I have very rarely seen any marks. Most times I will take my flip over shanty and set up in a likely looking spot after looking for fish and not spotting anything.

I am not a novice fisherman, I have taken several trips to lake Simcoe in Ontario, devil’s lake in North Dakota in addition to other great perch waters. This water has me completely scratching my head trying to find fish.

We will be lucky to have 4 or 5 weeks of good ice this season.

What is your advice?

Try to find the transition form hard to soft bottom. It is perch fishing so drill drill drill.

My opinion is that you need a couple buddies to go with you and as Brad said drill drill drill. 300 acres isn’t that big so if you drill enough holes you have got to run into them eventually.

How many lines are you allowed? I would as others have said drill drill drill. I would set out Tip Downs or Tip ups set very light for Perch using small minnows.

This will allow you to cover a larger area. Perch generally will sit tight to the bottom and many times are not visible on a locator unless they come up off the bottom after a lure or you can zoom in on the bottom.

brad-o wrote:

Try to find the transition form hard to soft bottom. It is perch fishing so drill drill drill.

Other than the riprap, bottom content is very consistent too. It seems there is nothing to concentrate fish except their food source.

icenutz wrote:

How many lines are you allowed? I would as others have said drill drill drill. I would set out Tip Downs or Tip ups set very light for Perch using small minnows.

This will allow you to cover a larger area. Perch generally will sit tight to the bottom and many times are not visible on a locator unless they come up off the bottom after a lure or you can zoom in on the bottom.

We are allowed 2 rods and 6 tip-ups per angler. I find them more of an anchor, keeping me confined in one area.

I have tried flashing jigging spoons worked high in the water to try to raise perch off the bottom and attract them from a distance.

Most of my friends don’t want to drive the 45 minutes to try something new. I work close by and only have an hour or 2 in the evenings to try to catch fish. I may have to make a trip on a weekend and spend all day drilling and hole hopping.

You need to fish all day, Perch will feed at anytime of the day.

Travel light, make a game plan on where to start and drill, drill, drill. Move fast when your locator doesn’t indicate fish in the area.
Another key point is to keep a positive mental attitude towards conquering this gem. You KNOW they’re in there based on your open water experience so get after them and take your A game to the fish. If you can’t entice your friends to help you break it down, it may not hurt to recruit some new blood into your circle that includes guys and girls that are just as excited as you to uncover new potential!

Good luck and keep us updated!