Coming up Sunday through Appeldoorns

[BGP]

A couple of us are going to try our luck on the Jumbos this Sunday. This will be our first time specifically targeting perch, ever. I have been reading the threads and have a general idea of tactics. What presentations should I have prepared to use when I get there? Should we start looking out by Doe Island and move from there? Any additional info will be great.

By the way, we will be using wheelers so we can move around as much as possible.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[Shack]

Cranker said, the perch are moving in to shallow soon. I would assume pre-spawn. They were in 20-27 f.o.w last weekend. Also colored plain hook (yellow or red) seemed to draw them in. I would say around 2 feet off of bottom. Keep bait high, either they swim at this level (thermokline) or the bait is more visible from a distance. When I would move bait up off of bottom, fish would come in view with cam on. Last weekend they were right were boulder field turns to pure sand. West side of doe reef. I do not think Cranker is around, but I think he said they would becoming in shallower by the weekend. Last weekend the we not in shallow. Good luck!

SHACKBASH

[crazyice]

I was out there last weekend as well and had some good luck on marmooska jigs tipped with spikes or waxies. I found the bigger perch to be in that transition area from mud or silt to rocks. I used my camera to find them. I drilled about 15 holes in the general area and then dropped the cam down to see what was around. As soon as I found that transition area the screen was full of probably hundreds of perch varying in size from the small 4 inchers to the jumbos. I would agree that the more active fish were just slightly suspended though. Also I found that if you dropped your jig down to them, and then slowly raised it if they would follow after about a foot, just pause for a couple of seconds and usually they would smack it! I am hoping that the access holds up until next weekend I am gonna try to get a few more on the ice yet. Good Luck!!

[chris63]

Thermocline will be nonexistant in the winter.This will occur in the mid to late summer months and doesn't always happen on (Contact Us Please).c63

[planofslayer]

Oh dear not the contact thing

[tom fellegy]

mille lacs does not have a thermocline at any time of the year, winter or summer...........tom fellegy

[!wall-i-king]

we were up from tues thru fri and found the perch in 29 feet of water off of doe island but then they kind of died on us so we went searching and found them in deep water somewhere in the neighborhood of 33 feet in some really soft bottom off of some rocks. Even hooked into a 5 pound smallie and my buddy landed an 8 pound northern on his ultralight rod. All in all it was a good trip with well over 100 perch being caught as well.

[minniwinni91]

was out off doe all weekend lots of fish, but I had to stay very mobile not more than 15 min at any holes. lots of little ones I was off the reef in 30 feet and did ok with a red glow jig and a waxie.

Good Luck

[whitesand]

we were out on saturday, WOW!!it was almost shorts and tshirt weather . we sure did alot of moving from hole to hole. tried out from malmo got a few yumbo's went south towards agate bay got a few more. the ones that were biting would come almost 10 feet off the bottom and smack it, other fish would look at it for a bit, and if you were lucky they would bite. the only thing we did not try was shallow 6-12 feet. most of them came though around 25-27 fow.