Walleyes are often caught incidently when targeting perch and are a nice bonus. Note that on Devils Lake where the author has guided for several years, there is no closed walleye season.<\/p><\/div>\n

Typically, no finesse is required once fish get wound up so light sensitive finesse rod tips or light line can cost you fish on a really hot bite.\u00a0\u00a0On a hot bite, use a fast response high quality graphite rod (Jason Mitchell Elite Series 26 inch Perch) that has a quick tip for solid hook sets particularly when using spoons or swim lures.\u00a0\u00a0Heavier line like Northland Tackle Bionic seven pound test really lets you windmill through schools of fish because you can lift big perch out of the ice hole right to your hand without worrying about line breakage.\u00a0\u00a0Another tip is to fish high in the water to ring the dinner bell.\u00a0\u00a0Lures silhouetted higher in the water column can be seen from further away and also seem to put off more flash which is crucial for calling in perch.\u00a0Even in ten feet of water on clear lakes, don\u2019t be afraid to fish five or more feet off the bottom\u00a0\u00a0Fish can see the lure from further away and as fish rise up to greet you, they just seem to become more aggressive.\u00a0\u00a0High fish often bite.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Great tipping options include the classic pinched off minnow head but loading lots of spikes can also be effective.\u00a0\u00a0In the Dakotas where legal, perch eyes might be one of the better baits because they are durable enough to catch several perch.\u00a0\u00a0Other great options include pieces of soft plastic like Trigger X which has gotten so popular with the open water bass and walleye crowd.\u00a0\u00a0Hook the bait however so not only does the bait stay on during aggressive jigging strokes but also so that the hook is exposed for good hook sets.\u00a0\u00a0Trimming off the barb is another tip that can speed up unhooking fish.\u00a0\u00a0Anglers also can bend out the barb slightly and when using spoons, perch will often come unbuttoned by just banging the fish on the ice which greatly speeds up the time to get back down at the fish.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

We are about to embark on one of the most productive periods of the entire ice period for anglers who love to target jumbo perch.\u00a0\u00a0Several good fisheries are starting to kick into high gear right now and with a few adjustments, anglers can turn good days of perch fishing into great days of perch catching.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Editors Note:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0The author Jason Mitchell earned a reputation as a nationally recognized ice fishing guide for the Perch Patrol on Devils Lake.\u00a0\u00a0Today, Mitchell hosts the television show, Jason Mitchell Outdoors which airs on FSN North at 9:00 am Sunday mornings.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Jason Mitchell Strong perch patterns occur across the board at late ice.\u00a0\u00a0Typical locations include gravel and sand, subtle rolling structure that is connected to the shoreline is often productive.\u00a0\u00a0During the late ice period, perch often move shallow and if there is atypical rule of thumb regarding shallow perch, it is that they are aggressive […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[787,621,475,622,620,59,120],"yoast_head":"\n