The Perch action continues to be the target of choice for us on the eastside. Our method has been jigging JB Wessels and other glow spoons with a small piece of a minnow head. The perch action has been best around the 16-18 foot depths. The area that we have been fishing has been just off the top of the reef. The times that have best are just after daylight in the morning and mid-afternoon to dark.
The size of the perch have been the biggest surprise. I have kept a few of these bigger ones for a couple of meals! The bigger perch are running 11-12 inches with some just a little smaller in the mix. While viewing the underwater camera we have seen many perch around 4-6 inches in length…….great to see these smaller perch!
The reports on walleyes have been slow on the eastside. I have checked with a number of fellow fisherman and they say it’s slow. I quess I will continue to go after these perch as long as the bite holds up.
The lake conditions are improving, ice thickness varys on the eastside from 11-13 inches in most areas that I have been. The lake is very rough out around 3/4 of a mile in my area off Picard Point. While running the ATV in these areas you have to pick your spots where you may want to cross some of these ice piles.
Hunters Point Resort started pulling houses out on Friday afternoon. They are placing the houses on the reef about 1/4 mile off shore. Saturday afternoon the lake did start to expand with the rise in temperature. The break on the northend was starting to push up late afternoon Saturday. Here on the eastide we did have a crack that opened up that stopped the trucks from pulling more houses. The resorts should have the rentals and some privates out for the Christmas break coming this week.
Remember to check with the resorts prior to your lake access. Make sure to get the latest ice conditions on that day, as they are changing daily.
Be safe, and have some fun!