Alternative perch baits

[Gil Levesque]

With a shortage of shiners on Lake Erie im looking for alternative baits for perch! I hear raw shrimp works as does strips of bacon fat! What about calimari rings cut into minnow sized strips? Anyone ever try these?? All suggestions greatly appreciated!! Thanx

[misfish]

Shrimp ring is your friend. I  cut them in dime size,put in a small zip lock with salt. I roll and press the shrimp in the salt. Instant power bait.  Works better each day it sits.

[OhioFisherman]

7 minutes ago, Gil Levesque said:

With a shortage of shiners on Lake Erie im looking for alternative baits for perch! I hear raw shrimp works as does strips of bacon fat! What about calimari rings cut into minnow sized strips? Anyone ever try these?? All suggestions greatly appreciated!! Thanx

Just my experience is that perch will eat almost anything if they feel like it. Different laws here in Ohio, but as a kid we would buy a buck's worth of minnows and when they ran out scale a perch or other fish and cut strips of it with the skin on for bait, it worked. Worms, but you might end up feeding the gobies and every other fish out there. Not sure what they sell as bait in your area, here some bait stores sold maggots and wax worms as pan fish bait, possibly a leech? I have caught Perch up north that were spitting out crayfish, so small uncooked shrimp might work, a small piece of bologna or hot dog? I have seen videos of people using them to bait minnow traps.

In my younger years when the lake front bait stores here couldn't get enough Emerald Shiners they sold Fathead minnows as bait, I never had much luck on those anywhere! The trend now seems to be hatchery raised small Golden Shiners,

 

[super dave]

I always have left over minnows after each ice session so i just salt them and dry them out and freeze.   like OF said, cut bait also works (sucker)   

Here is another question, are perch eyes legal to use as bait in Ontario?   I saw some people using them during the ice season but i thought using perch as bait was illegal. 

[misfish]

The eyes have it.

[OhioFisherman]

12 minutes ago, super dave said:

I always have left over minnows after each ice session so i just salt them and dry them out and freeze.   like OF said, cut bait also works (sucker)   

Here is another question, are perch eyes legal to use as bait er in Ontario?   I saw some people using them during the ice season but i thought using perch as bait was illegal. 

I recall seeing Perch eyes used for bait here too, as long as you are keeping that Perch to eat would it be an issue? If there is a stream in you area? Small creek chubs, dace or darter minnows might work as well?

[BillM]

Buckshot spoons.  Perch love them vertically jigged.

[bobowski]

Perch eyes are fine to use as long as you are harvesting the perch it came from. I tip my perch baits with eyes in the winter. 

[Sinker]

Jiggin raps with a fin-S minnow rigged on a drop shot above it works. 

S. 

[misfish]

42 minutes ago, Sinker said:

Jiggin raps with a fin-S minnow rigged on a drop shot above it works. 

S. 

But if you get hungry, the shrimp come in handy.  Try that with a jigg,n rap. LOL

[misfish]

On 9/13/2019 at 9:52 AM, misfish said:

Shrimp ring is your friend. I  cut them in dime size,put in a small zip lock with salt. I roll and press the shrimp in the salt. Instant power bait.  Works better each day it sits.

Stopped by for a look see. They have started to come in here. Best get ready,,,,,,,,,I do not fish them a ton, but do like a good fresh perch fry and eggs.

[adempsey]

Micro tubes work great. I also use Gulp maggots, waxies, fry....all the small 1-1.5" baits work well for me when ice fishing. I put them on a dropper spoon like a Nils Master Hali, but a jig would work too. The non-Alive versions are preferable though because there is none of that nasty liquid.

[misfish]

44 minutes ago, adempsey said:

The non-Alive versions are preferable though because there is none of that nasty liquid.

That liquid is good for something,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,My secret and no, not telling.  Mad scientist.