Need Some Perch Help

[trophy19cc]

New to the board and new to perch fishing. I will be fishing out of North East PA and could use some help. What is the best: time of year, locations and rigs for catching jumbo perch? I have fished mostly for walleye but will be retiring and will have more time to fish. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Shellback]

Can't help you any spots in N.E. PA. Lake Erie to the west, or Seneca lake in NY would be my choices. I'm in S.E. PA and fish for perch in Maryland, the mouth of the Susquehanna river, and the the North East river.

[WALLEYE651]

i fish out of barcelona ny but i am going to bite the bullet and buy a pa licence and fish for perch out of north east i will watch this post and see if anyone offers any help and both of us can benifit . north east is less than 15 min. from me . i know a lot of guys that fish for perch but i never asked about it but i will now and will let you know what i find out send me an e-mail at walleye651@msn.com

[ffishman]

I've been fishing N Mn for some 30 years now. We chase Walleye. Problem is, where we look for the eyes is normally loaded with perch. Sometimes we cannot keep them off the hooks. So, my advice to you is, keep fishing for the eyes, and when you hit a school of perch, go get-em.

[ColumbiaR]

I've done the best with perch using a small jigging spoon tipped with a piece of crawler or other bait and vertical jigging. Once you find the school, drop that bait right in front of them. Perch will go into what I call a "feeding frenzy" where you can catch one right after the other. I usually tie on a second hook about a foot above the jigging spoon and will often catch two at a time when they are really feeding.

The key is to stay on the school of fish. They will move around during the day. My experience is that if you are not on the school, you're not catching fish.

[nwpaconcours]

Trophy, I fish out of your port and west of you. No best time of the year, the perch school up shallow earlier in the year and are in the 50-60 foot range by late summer. Generally all on bottom, at most a foot off using minnows on plain hooks on spreaders or vertical harnesses. Look for the mini packs but don't trust that's where the fish are, you have to find the schools. The blind tend to follow the blind out there. Last year a 40 foot difference between boats meant a limit or a 5 fish day. Use and trust your fishfinder.

Highly, highly recommend braided line. After a lot of comparing, no question in my mind that it increases catch rate over mono (for perch jigging).

When the fish are cooperating, 1/2 minnows work fine. Perch aren't picky when they are hungry.

The local reports will let you know when the bite is on, but it was strong spring to fall last year.

[Shellback]

I guess I'm confused. Is North East, PA in northwest PA?

[nwpaconcours]

I guess I'm confused. Is North East, PA in northwest PA?

You're not confused at all! North East PA is on the NY/PA border on Lake Erie.

[trophy19cc]

Thanks for the responses. I'll start with the last response 1st. North East, also known as Safe Harbor, is near sixteen mile creek near the New York border.
I also use braid and will try the near bottom fishing. I purchased some perch rigs several years back but when time permitted I fished for Walleye both in Ohio and PA.
Walleye651 I also will pick the brains of some Erie fellows that have camps by ours and let you know what I find out. I'll drop you a line.

Thanks again to all

[bridgeman]

I see boats "Perchin" in early summer and into the fall, best advice is to get a bucket full of emerald shiners at the bait shop and head out usually in about 40' of water early and ending up somewhat deeper as the lake warms. I fish out of Ashtabula OH most of the time and it obvious where the fish are located when you see a large group of anchored boats referred to as the perch pack. The bait shops have pre-made rigs that you have to add weight to depending on the conditions to hold bottom. I can't say I've ever tried it because I mainly target the walleyes but might give it a try this summer.

[fosterthedog]

I fish onieda lake in NY state primarily for walleye, middle of the day when the fishing slows down I switch to perch. I look for openings in weed beds in 10 to 15 ft (deeper 18 -20 in the hotter days of summer). I like a very light action rod tipped with a small crab (crayfish) or small minnow and little bit of wieght just enough to get your bait down. Go to the bottom reel in a couple of turns and jig it a little, up 4 inches or so let it fall, they almost always hit on the fall. I keep a finger on the line to feel the bite. If you catch a few on a spot mark it on your GPS, you might catch a few on a spot then they stop biting, come back in an hour or two and catch a few more. Once you build a library of GPS points it keeps you busy til the eye fishing pick up at dusk. Kind of like jigging wallys just try to lighten up on the gear, ultra-lite rod and reel makes it easier and more fun. Last couple of years Ive gone to a slip bobber just tried it one day caught fish and didnt go back. It takes about an hour from my house to get to the lake so it makes for fun in the middle of the day when I might otherwise go home after a slow morning of walleye fishing. best of luck! fosterthedog