Your favourite Perch Lure (soft water)

[Luke V.]

With ice out official here in southern ontario I will be hitting Lake Erie on Friday

 

Most springs I use the usual small spoons and pickerel rig with minnows

 

What's your favourite method for putting yellows in the boat?

 

Thanks

Tight lines

[BillM]

Same stuff I use during the ice season.

[krixxer]

I’m lazy when it comes to perch. I use a big bell sinker with two hooks on the line all spaced around a foot from each other. I guess I drop shot ‘em.

 

Live minnows have always been the most effective lure on Erie ALWAYS!!

 

There have been days where I came back to shore and drove to erie outfitters to pick minnows because we could not get a single bite all morning. Get back on the water in the afternoon and limit out in a few hours.

 

On the other hand Simcoe perch will hit just about anything any time of the year. After reading some of the stuff here I think I’ll try bacon this year as an inexpensive alternative to minnows.

[Radnine]

I’m lazy when it comes to perch. I use a big bell sinker with two hooks on the line all spaced around a foot from each other. I guess I drop shot ‘em.

 

Live minnows have always been the most effective lure on Erie ALWAYS!!

 

There have been days where I came back to shore and drove to erie outfitters to pick minnows because we could not get a single bite all morning. Get back on the water in the afternoon and limit out in a few hours.

 

On the other hand Simcoe perch will hit just about anything any time of the year. After reading some of the stuff here I think I’ll try bacon this year as an inexpensive alternative to minnows.

I have not fished Erie for perch yet, but on Simcoe it is always worms, usually drop shotted as described above.

Don't ever mix lazy up with efficient!

Jim

[Rich]

Make no mistake, some days minnows are NOT best for lake erie perch.

 

There's two rods me and my dad had on board for erie perch fishing since I was 10, and I've never needed anything else since.

 

Indeed, as described, the dropshot rig is the first rod. We used 3 hooks when I was younger and the bottom always had a salted minnow. My dad firmly believed this kept small ones off the rig. I can't see why, but I also can't argue with his repeatedly good results.

 

The second rod was rigged and still is to this day, with a small kastmaster jigging spoon. My dad swore by gold, i swear by silver with blue. We both always got jumbos but my color always seemed to get more incidental smallie and drum hits. I love, love, love hooking a big drum (sheephead) while spoon-perchin. What a thrill after yanking up so many yellow logs.

 

That's my walk down memory lane, hope it helps.

[kemper]

Slip float, small jig tipped with a minnow on my ultralite set-up.

[Locnar]

I only target perch on Simcoe in the winter. In the summer they hit anything and everything. Minnows, worms, crawler harnesses, jigs (every single one I own), and some crankbaits. I had one hit a shallow diving crankbait nearly 2/3 its own size.

[Luke V.]

Thanks for all of the replys

By the sounds of it. I will keep my presentation the same this spring.

[Fish Farmer]

Can't beat the Minnow on Erie but you can use some plastics if their on the feed. But in the near future we could be banned for using live bait. Now that were fishin in 50' to 60' of water on Erie can be a pain using minnows. Ice fishing ultra lite 2 lb. line and jigs ice fishing with a maggot or Perch eye is great but dropping down a rig like that in 60' of water is not going to happen.

[Luke V.]

For my minnow rig i run #10 hooks and 4 lb flouro leader and a 3/8 bell sinker. I use 2 hooks spaced 12-14 inches apart with the sinker 10-12 inches below the bottom hook. I have used this in all ranges of depths. 20' on Lake Simcoe to 70' on Lake Erie.

 

Not too sure how fishing minnows in deeper water is a pain

[Harrison]

Berkley power minnows, FinS fish, and my new fav... gulp leeches.

[Court R]

Med.action bass rods with a pickerel rig or 1/2-3/4 oz jigging spoons.

[NAW]

Same stuff I use during the ice season.

 

x2.

 

Small spoon with a small jig head stinger about 6" down.

[Court R]

And just remember Luke, big bait big fish, you would be amazed the size of the bait fish these fish eat, go big.. this isn't Lake Simcoe dinks your fishing.

[Luke V.]

Yea I got some spoons I fish for bass that I will b using

[Fish Farmer]

For my minnow rig i run #10 hooks and 4 lb flouro leader and a 3/8 bell sinker. I use 2 hooks spaced 12-14 inches apart with the sinker 10-12 inches below the bottom hook. I have used this in all ranges of depths. 20' on Lake Simcoe to 70' on Lake Erie.

 

Not too sure how fishing minnows in deeper water is a pain

Some times the minnows you get are soft and down 60' if your minnow gets bit off, it's a long way back up. I use 20 Lb. Prower Pro and a 6' lead of Flor. You can detect bites better down that deep.

Edited March 27, 2013 by Fish Farmer

[davey buoy]

I guess when perch get tough to catch,fluro and smaller line may very well work. I never new they would be so fussy. With a tip of a minnow? Soon as you hit the bottom they were on.Even in the summer with small /medium spinners it's hard to keep them away some times.

[Rich]

Some times the minnows you get are soft and down 60' if your minnow gets bit off, it's a long way back up. I use 20 Lb. Prower Pro and a 6' lead of Flor. You can detect bites better down that deep.

I find the salties work great in 50+fow, sometimes catch 4-5 fish before having to replace!

[Cudz]

I drop shot micro tubes