Perch at Willard?

[catchinon]

I'll be going to Willard Saturday and would like to catch some perch in addition to wipers and walleye. Can anyone tell me how to fish for perch specifically? Locations, lures, etc. would be appreciated.

[wiperhunter2]

I'll be going to Willard Saturday and would like to catch some perch in addition to wipers and walleye. Can anyone tell me how to fish for perch specifically? Locations, lures, etc. would be appreciated.

Craig, they are all over the lake, if I were you I'd fish the same areas and use the same lures that you and Shawn fished on your last trip there. This time of year they are not any any one location.

[catchinon]

Thanks, Curt. Are they more likely to bite worm harnesses or Flicker Shads?

[obifishkenobi]

Thanks, Curt. Are they more likely to bite worm harnesses or Flicker Shads?

Craig, 
Curt is right just fish the same areas and same stuff we fished, I have caught them on cranks and harnesses, but If one has the edge I would say harness. I'm sure you will have at least two people in the boat so run bottom bouncers on each side of the boat and cranks out on plainer boards. It was kind of a fluke for this year that we did not get any the day we where out.

[wiperhunter2]

Thanks, Curt. Are they more likely to bite worm harnesses or Flicker Shads?

A few weeks ago we did better worm harnesses but the last week it was about equal with harnesses and lures.

[catchinon]

Have they been hitting any particular colors/patterns?

[FishfulThinkin]

I fished Willard last Friday the 9th. I was targeting walleye but wound up with more perch than walleye.  3 of the perch were 1.25 lbs. almost as big as the average walleye. I think more were caught on cranks but worm harnesses also caught them. The week before it was opposite and harnesses caught more perch than cranks. We fished the west half of the lake in the center. I heard that the SW corner was producing some perch and we did catch some close to that area. I'd say just go walleye fishing and you'll probably catch some. I think I need planer boards because our walleye numbers went way down when my electric motor burned out so I was using the bigger motor. Color didn't seem to matter, we caught them on various colors.

[wiperhunter2]

Have they been hitting any particular colors/patterns?

Everyone catches them on different colors and patterns, just read the Willard post from the last few weeks but last week everything in chartreuse was what was working for us.

[catchinon]

Thanks, Curt. I have been reading and re-reading all those posts.

[EyLayo]

Caught a few today Craig. Only the lures that were dragging in the mud got hit. Cranks did better than crawler rigs. Orange and purple. Chartreuse was second

[WalleyeAl]

Yesterday we boated 4 perch along with 17 walleye from 6:00pm to 9:30pm. all of the perch were on chartreuse crawler harness pulled 2.4mph

[wiperhunter2]

Yesterday we boated 4 perch along with 17 walleye from 6:00pm to 9:30pm. all of the perch were on chartreuse crawler harness pulled 2.4mph

Great report, that's a very productive 3.5 hrs. Were you using weights to get the worm harnesses down deeper, if so how much weight were you using?

[WalleyeAl]

Yesterday we boated 4 perch along with 17 walleye from 6:00pm to 9:30pm. all of the perch were on chartreuse crawler harness pulled 2.4mph

Great report, that's a very productive 3.5 hrs. Were you using weights to get the worm harnesses down deeper, if so how much weight were you using?

Yes, I run 3oz bottom bouncers. 48" leader from bouncer to harness and 125-150' set backs behind the boat. also i use a sinker slider above a swivel and just attach a pencil style bouncer to the slider. it really helps getting hook ups because when the fish hits its not pulling against a 3oz weight. Walleyes were on the harness and #7 flicker minnows, nothing on flicker shad.

[wiperhunter2]

Yesterday we boated 4 perch along with 17 walleye from 6:00pm to 9:30pm. all of the perch were on chartreuse crawler harness pulled 2.4mph

Great report, that's a very productive 3.5 hrs. Were you using weights to get the worm harnesses down deeper, if so how much weight were you using?

Yes, I run 3oz bottom bouncers. 48" leader from bouncer to harness and 125-150' set backs behind the boat. also i use a sinker slider above a swivel and just attach a pencil style bouncer to the slider. it really helps getting hook ups because when the fish hits its not pulling against a 3oz weight. Walleyes were on the harness and #7 flicker minnows, nothing on flicker shad.

We just use lead core line or snap weights to achieve the same depth and we found the same thing, that #7 flicker minnows worked better than the regular flicker shad in the same size. How bad were the mosquitoes, that late in the evening?

[RockyRaab2]

A 3-oz bottom bouncer was the only thing I caught yesterday. It hit a chartreuse crank. Pulled drag until it broke the line to whatever it was dragging behind, but then didn't fight much.

[wiperhunter2]

A 3-oz bottom bouncer was the only thing I caught yesterday. It hit a chartreuse crank. Pulled drag until it broke the line to whatever it was dragging behind, but then didn't fight much.

Glad you were finally able to get out Rocky, too bad the fish did not want to play, what part of the lake were you fishing?

[RockyRaab2]

I fished the same areas others have had success, using the same methods, at the same speeds. My cosmic fish repeller ray must have been set to "high". Again. I'm apparently a good angler but a lousy catcher. Some day, maybe I'll learn to hold my mouth just right.

[catchinon]

Hey all, thanks for all the good intelligence. I'm as ready to go as I ever will be. I'll let you know how we do.