fishing for perch, erie style
by Nic Digravio
It's been a long time since the Perch fishing in Lake Erie has been this
good.
It's just like the days of old when Perch seekers of all ages would get
together with their families and friends for a good day of Perch fishing.
Spring of the year bring Perch to spawn by the thousands here in Lake Erie. Shallow and weedy bays like Inner Bay, Long Point in the province of Ontario are prime destinations. Keeping in touch with the local tackle shops and the fishing reports on the World Wide Web can aid us in knowing when the action is at its peek. This particular day there were many boats anchored which was the way to go to get in on the fun!
Our outing was fast and furious at times. Minnows seem to have done the
trick
overall but the Perch were picky about how their 'breakfast' was being served.
1/8th ounce jigs with white grubs took a few as did the new Berkley Power
Minnow. The Berkley Gulp Worms worked too combined with the white grub.
Casting and dragging the bait on bottom seemed to have worked but surprisingly
enough 'plopping' the bait over the side of the boat and keeping the bait
just off bottom had the best results. Anchored in 6 to 8 ft of water was
all it took to keep us on the fish. The bite was steady most of the time
but when big schools of Perch moved in you knew it because the action was
non-stop.
In Ontario each license holder is allowed 50 perch which is more than enough to enjoy the great tasting fillets. One or two outings is enough for me because nothing tastes better than 'fresh' deep fried Perch fillets as apposed to frozen fillets. To me, once it's frozen it just doesn't taste the same no matter how you cook it. Why keep Perch frozen when they can be left in the water where they can multiply for us to enjoy again and again.
If
we all work together to preserve this precious resource fish like the Perch
of Lake Erie can be enjoyed for many generations to come. The big smile
on the faces of future anglers like Derek (above) make it all worth while!
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