PERCH!!!!!!!
It’s not just for Winter anymore!
If you do a search on Google about Perch Fishing, right around 12,600,000 results will pop up.
They are not that difficult to catch, and can be fished for by boat and off shore.
One example of what some of those websites have to say about Perch Fishing.
Obviously, the writer has never explored Perch Fishing on The Big Devil.
Finding and enticing Perch to bite on Devils Lake, winter or summer, is anything but easy.
The only thing more challenging in my eyes is targeting Crappies. Funny how those are probably my two favorite things to do on Devils Lake.
The sense of accomplishment is pure elation when you finally drill into the Christmas Tree of Jumbo Perch or Strike Solomon’s Mine of Slab Devils Lake Diamonds.
THE Species In My Mind
Wednesdays this summer have been about Devils Lake’s ‘Other’ Species. In the mind of this fisherman, Yellow Perch are THE species!
Walleyes are great, don’t get me wrong, the thump thump and head shake of a big walleye with shoulders and softball sized mouth really gets my blood flowing. However, the rat-at-at-at over and over again of my rod, as the spinner goes through a 100-yard long school of Jumbos in 25 feet of water turns me into a little kid again.
Sitting on an ice sheet 45 feet above the bottom of the lake over 100’s of rising and falling Perch signatures on the Veixlar trying to entice them to go into a Perchapalooza feeding frenzy is heaven.
Hole hopping on a 60 degree April afternoon picking off 2-3 Perch before moving holes is Nirvana!
Pulling Lead Core down an old shoreline straightaway not knowing if that thump on the pole is a Walleye or a Perch in 25-30 feet of water just doesn’t get any better!
You Can Take the Big 2, I’ll Take The Gold Mine!
Walleyes and Pike are NOT what stokes the fire in me to drill 154 holes in the ice searching.
The ole White Tips won’t get me braving -41 degree wind chills, perusing the barren ice sheet for the chance at 1 or 2 cold front feeders.
Blizzard?
Not going for walleyes on a hump!
I will drill a submerged flat in 30 feet of water in a whiteout though, actually have on numerous occasions. GPS navigation through a solid white windshield gives new meaning to ‘moronic idiocy’, but, that is what these tasty fish do to me.
Hills And Valleys!
Perch are cyclical. 2013 and 2014 were banner years. Jumbo were plentiful and many days of crazy, 13-15 inch Perch were had. The numbers of true Jumbos dropped after that and the biggest number of Perch in the lake the last couple years have been 8-10 inchers. That will change h here heading into the end of this summer and this next winter. Those 8-10’s will be 10-13’s and some will start stretching to that 14-15 inch, true Jumbo range. To think, on this gorgeous summer day with temps in the 80’s I have visions of frozen ice and below zero temperatures on my mind.
Nothing, and I mean nothing beats that deep orange, almost Golden color like a pot bellied, DL Jumbo Perch!
We have started tapping into some Perch strikes and 3 of the last 4 days have seen 1 Perch, 1 Perch, 3 Perch. If you don’t think that Perch can be caught in the summer stay tuned to DLFR, our goal is to prove you wrong, and we will, over and over and over again.
Excellent article. A little below zero would feel good right now down here in Nebraska. Pretty balmy.