Perch, Perch, and more Perch

Steve, Dad, and I left the house just before 5:30 am to make the 2hr drive to Muskegon. We stopped for fuel and shortly before Portland there was a dual consensus between the two copilots about stopping to tour the roadside rest stop. Someone quickly dominated it and left. Unfortunately we didn't see any Lot Lizards!

At the bait shop a little after 7:30 for 10,000 minnows and enough wigglers to completely mess up three full sized semi trucks if they were to hatch in May. One gentleman commented on the amount of people at the shop followed by: "did you hear about the fishing on Facebook"? What's Facebook was my reply.

At the launch around 8 am and we took our sweet time getting ready. Perch fishing isn't supposed to be taxing! It was a cold 29 degrees when I stood on the asphalt in my socks and underwear. I had to put my long jons on.

By the time we arrived at the sand docks, there was probably 25 boats already fishing. I used down image and sonar to find a decent pod and we went to work. Wigglers were good early on but died off quickly. Minnows came on strong though tipping them on our Ron Spring's rigs. Chartreuse with pink was the best color pattern.

Sometimes your would catch 20 before a keeper. Other times you would get 5 in a row that went in the box.

Perch fishing is my favorite. You sit, relax, talk, rib each other, and enjoy catching the best tasting fish on the planet. It reminds me of fishing as a child with my grandfathers.

In the end it would be safe to say we boated between 275 and 325 fish. We thankfully only kept 78. This would be the reason why I didn't puck Steve up on the way! He could sneak out of cleaning duties!

A photo of a few fish. Steve can add more when he gets home. What a great day.

Attachment 296438

Sent from my SM-J320V using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

Nice catching you three amigos!!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

Larry, Curly & Moe......

I was @ Muskegon today also, but for new T handles for the truck topper.

Rich,

While I think about it, what makes Perch favored over, say Walleye in your opinion?

Aren’t the of the same family of sorts?

I got a text message from Rich at around 2:00 Thursday afternoon which simply said “Perch fishing tomorrow are you in?” Well I knew what the answer was going to be, but like everything I’ve done in 39 years of wedded bliss....was to clear it with my social director.

The simple word “Perch” was as far as I got and she said GO! We both love a perch fry, there’s nothing better tasting in our opinion than fresh perch, so I told Rich I would be joining them and got my gear together for a early morning (4:15) departure from home.

Everything went as Rich described above with a few extra antics he didn’t mention, such as small fish whizzing past your head on their way back into their 40 feet deep homes, in fact Dale said one hit him in the back of the head on its way home, and I think I got paid back for a frisbee style toss I did last fall. More than a few stories were told, including what the hoodie of a parka can be used for, Dales definition of stomach cramps and what that leads to......

The day was a complete success, a great day on the water with good people, a new learned technique, and more than enough of those wonderful tasting lake perch for a fish fry!

I do apologize I didn’t take many pictures but I will share what I did take.

Boat traffic and a couple bundled up fishermen.

Attachment 296489
Attachment 296490
Attachment 296491
Attachment 296492


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com

Nice. I'll have to do that when I get back.

Great report guys...i know you had a blast

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

I think that every fish cleaned except for 3 were females.

For years, perch fishing has been in the toilet. It is steadily coming back.

For me, I scale all the perch which leaves the skin on, adds flavor, saves meat, and makes them fry better. In canada, the small walleye taste the same. Here in Michigan, you cannot keep those small fish. The bigger ones have a dark layer between the meat and skin which makes them not good to scale and eat. Filleting off the skin removes the dark meat. Those thin perch fillets seem to fry much quicker, are way thinner, and tend not to hold grease. I bake, broil, or grill most of my walleye however Kevin is the master at frying them and also has an awesome blackened recipe that I want to try again.

Jimmy taught me a mustard base that was out of this world, and we also experimented with a hot sauce buffalo style that was great. With perch, I keep it simple.

I remember later that sitting on that cooler was stupid. And to think, I had my other seat in the boat. Oh well, my back is already screwed

Great post and pictures.

Great job you 3 Musketeers

great job guys.
hard to beat a good perch fry!!!
nice to see the perch coming back a bit, I love fishing south haven back in the day.

They seem to get better every year. A factor often overlooked is the off weather years. Last year was a lousy perch year. Not because they were not there but rather because of the weather. It didn't cooperate for the fishing to get good. By the time it did, the fish were gone. This just bodes well for future years. A couple of years back, we were catching tons of bigger fish (not many throw backs). This year, we were catching way more throw backs. Sometimes 25 between 3 of us before getting a good keeper. That makes fishing fun and also ensures future years of fishing.

Grand Haven has potential to be great when the wind is right in the summertime (Kevin and I can both attest to that). South Haven used to be a great time too. Lake Erie is awesome in the late summer and in to fall and Saginaw bay is now getting great runs of quality perch due to them cutting down on the numbers you can keep. What an exciting time!

If you have never tried it before, I recommend doing it at least once. It isn't hard and doesn't cost a ton. I use my electric trolling motor with spot lock, purchase both minnows and wigglers (salad shrimp also work great) and some perch rigs. My preference has been well documented (Ron Spring's Rigs) but any rig will do the job. I like to utilize a 1oz pyramid sinker to get me to the bottom quick.

Many people have a hard time at first recognizing the bite. I like to tell people to keep tension on the rod with the weight on the bottom, drop the tip slack the line and then slowly lift back to tension. You will feel the bite. Also, slowly lift the bait off the bottom. As you are lifting, you will feel the bite. Once you get it, you will own it forever. Wigglers on the bottom and minnows on the top hook have always been my go to however, once you dial in the right setup, you can switch over to all the same bait.

Hooking the minnows can be the difference some days. The other day I noticed that everyone in the boat was using a different way to do it. I started watching other boats and seeing what they were doing and I began to experiment. Hooking the minnow through the eyes didn't yeild near as many bites for me as hooking them through the lips. Then, when I switched over to hooking them through the dorsal fin, the fish really liked that.

Great story. Nothing beats that Perch fishing for fun and eats. I always hook my minnows in the back unless were trolling. Still had a little ice on some of our lakes, now they are calling for 4-7" of snow. Rich, your Perch trip has got me going, can't wait to get out.

Jerry is wondering if this is the size sinker required.....
Attachment 297177


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com

Bwahahaha

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

Funny!

I melted one of those two years ago thinking I would get good lead. It was junk. Low melting point.

That should be just about right with all the wind lately

Seriously what would one use that for, nets?

River boat anchor


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

You would need a good winch and rope, that one was just over 50 pounds.

Steve and Aiden stopped by yesterday to visit and we ended up going for a drive. Stopped at Holland Lake, bait shops in Edmore, Six Lakes and Lakeview. Stopped at the Beats-a Tent where Aiden got his first taste of jalapeno pickled eggs. Stopped in at the Amish cheese factory and ate a few samples, watched them make cheese and bought some cheese and cheese curds. Next it was a stop at Sessions Lake to see if anybody was fishing, nobody was, then home. It was a fun day. Steve and Aiden, thanks for helping me waste a day, I had a good time.

We had a good time as well Jerry.

Aiden learned a couple jokes from Uncle Jerry he couldn’t wait to tell his sister Ava the minute he walked in the door! Those two grandkids fight and argue when they are together, but split them up and they miss each other.

Attachment 297254



Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com

Uncle Jerry got to learn what it was like to be a Grandpa. See what you get to look forward to when they get older!

I think my nieces and nephews were barred from spending any great deal of time with their uncle. I wonder why!

You look 10 years younger at least. Heck, you look younger than me! Going to have to find something to keep all the ladies away from you.

All the jokes were of the clean variety. Stuff like what do you get if you cross an elephant and a rhino? Eleph-ino.

If the ladies get too thick and bothersome I'll just grow the Uncle Si beard again. That seems to keep them at bay. Had a few reverse direction in the grocery store when it was in full bloom. Kinda funny, I think.

Jerry does look a lot younger without the beard.

Yep the jokes were clean enough, and everyone UJ told Aiden laughed harder than the last one.


Rich, were those 3 oz. sinkers we used? I bought 4 each of 1 oz. 2 oz. and 3 oz.

In all our travels to 3 bait shops, no one had those Ron Springs perch rigs....guess I need to go back up to that Sunoco station......they had lots!

1oz

They are only carried in that area as Ron is from Montague. You can find them in Grand Haven, Muskegon, Whitehall, and Montague

Thanks, for some reason when I was buying those sinkers my mind said 1 ounce but they looked small so I played it safe and bought the 2’s and 3’s

Talked to Bruce this morning they are still driving pick up trucks on 2 foot of ice in the Big Bay/Garden Bay Area.
I guess I’m greatful we don’t have that here.


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com

Hey Steve, you can get those Ron springs here in Grand Rapids at al & bobs


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

I bought some South Bend perch rigs yesterday. They have a sliding spring that locks the hook in place. I can customize it as far as hook size or style, use flies or hair jigs. Will they work? Probably. Are they better or worse than anything else? I won't know till I try. I've never used spreader rigs much. I usually tie loops in my line or use halis or swedish pimples. I like using slip bobbers, too.

Jerry, the loops are really the best thing. The Ron Spring's are tied like that with very short legs to the hair fly. The don't tangle unlink others I have used.

Some days, it doesn't matter anyway. Kevin actually got be started on those rigs.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Just Steve

We had a good time as well Jerry.

Aiden learned a couple jokes from Uncle Jerry he couldn’t wait to tell his sister Ava the minute he walked in the door! Those two grandkids fight and argue when they are together, but split them up and they miss each other.

Attachment 297254



Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com

---

Hey-that place looks familiar.