GUIDE'S CORNER FEATURED ARTICLE
Prime Time for Perch
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A Limit of Early August Perch
Every year a pattern begins in late July to early August when the perch fishing starts to heat up. Perch fishing can be pretty decent early in the year around new weed growth in a lake. When the mayfly hatch occurs in late May to early June, the perch position themselves in the mud flats of a lake to gorge at the feast. The mayfly larvae or nymph we commonly call, wigglers, emerge into the adult stage mayfly through the water column and the perch are there to take the easy pickings.
Not only can that phenomenon make perch fishing tough, but walleye and other fish species come for the takings as well. I have even seen muskies swimming on the surface of the water with the water line in the crook of their open mouth, skimming the surface for the spent wiggler casings that seemed to be eveywhere.
Not only can that phenomenon make perch fishing tough, but walleye and other fish species come for the takings as well. I have even seen muskies swimming on the surface of the water with the water line in the crook of their open mouth, skimming the surface for the spent wiggler casings that seemed to be eveywhere.
Even though Lake Winnebago doesn't have much of a mayfly hatch, they do have a lake fly hatch that occurs at the same time frame and the results are the same. Perch are scattered about in the mud bottoms that are the biggest areas in most lakes which makes them difficult to locate and catch. They will spend the rest of the summer in the deep water of the mud flats feeding on various forms of food, until the great table is set before them.
One thing I have learned through the years by looking at the stomach contents of perch is they prefer to eat larvae or nymphs and crustaceans. Those two food sources come into play why the perch fishing starts to get better in late July and early August. The perch will move from the deep water and relocate themselves to take advantage of those two food items. Let's look at one of these food sources first and the role it plays on the perch location.
In this time frame the dragonfly hatches start and the dragonfly nymphs are prime food for the perch. These nymphs, commonly called hellgrammites, are much bigger in size than the mayfly larvae. So you can see why the perch want to take advantage of this food source. It is no coincidence that the availability of this bait to fishermen and the good perch fishing happen at the same time. Weeds are where the nymphs hang out and the deep weed lines are where you will want to go armed with hellgrammites for bait.
You can use just a plain hook or use a small horizontal jig under a slip bobber. I tend to have better luck with the jig, the perch seem to prefer the horizontal presentation of the bug. Since the deeper weeds are where they are, the slip bobber works the best. You can also fish either rig without a bobber over the side of the boat which can be a deadly tactic. Thunder bugs, which are another form of dragonfly nymphs, are a bug that is used by fishermen to catch perch at this same time also.
It is no secret that perch love to eat crustaceans. That is how our lakes got infested with the rusty crayfish. Years back fishermen knew this and started using the soft shell crab as bait. Well, live ones got into our lakes and the rest is history. Native and the rusty crayfish in our lakes mate in early spring, late summer, or early fall. The eggs from the ones that mate in early spring develop into small crayfish that are about one to two inches long at this time frame. They are just the right eating size for the perch.
These juvenile crayfish love to feed on various insect forms and therefore are in the same places you will find the dragonfly nymphs and the perch. I have had great success using hellgrammites to catch perch only to find out that their stomachs were full of small crayfish. The perch have the feed bag on and will not hesitate to pick up the bug as an easy meal. The nymphs are hard to keep alive after capture and the best way is to layer them in wet newspaper and keep them cold.
This is a great time to take the kids fishing. The weather is nice, the bite is on, and easy bobber fishing for them. So grab some bugs and have some fun this summer!
Just a Note on Hellgrammites
Many people; bait shops, anglers, and myself incorrectly call dragonfly nymphs, hellgrammites. The true hellgrammite is the larvae of the Dobson fly, which is also used for bait. The Dobson flies are more native to the eastern United States. The true hellgrammite can live up to 3 years underwater in that larval stage since they have gills. They can reach 2-3 inches in length and have short sharp pincers on their head that can inflict a painful bite to human hands trying to catch them. Their hard segmented bodies can survive for long periods once they are hooked to be used as bait.
One thing I have learned through the years by looking at the stomach contents of perch is they prefer to eat larvae or nymphs and crustaceans. Those two food sources come into play why the perch fishing starts to get better in late July and early August. The perch will move from the deep water and relocate themselves to take advantage of those two food items. Let's look at one of these food sources first and the role it plays on the perch location.
In this time frame the dragonfly hatches start and the dragonfly nymphs are prime food for the perch. These nymphs, commonly called hellgrammites, are much bigger in size than the mayfly larvae. So you can see why the perch want to take advantage of this food source. It is no coincidence that the availability of this bait to fishermen and the good perch fishing happen at the same time. Weeds are where the nymphs hang out and the deep weed lines are where you will want to go armed with hellgrammites for bait.
You can use just a plain hook or use a small horizontal jig under a slip bobber. I tend to have better luck with the jig, the perch seem to prefer the horizontal presentation of the bug. Since the deeper weeds are where they are, the slip bobber works the best. You can also fish either rig without a bobber over the side of the boat which can be a deadly tactic. Thunder bugs, which are another form of dragonfly nymphs, are a bug that is used by fishermen to catch perch at this same time also.
It is no secret that perch love to eat crustaceans. That is how our lakes got infested with the rusty crayfish. Years back fishermen knew this and started using the soft shell crab as bait. Well, live ones got into our lakes and the rest is history. Native and the rusty crayfish in our lakes mate in early spring, late summer, or early fall. The eggs from the ones that mate in early spring develop into small crayfish that are about one to two inches long at this time frame. They are just the right eating size for the perch.
These juvenile crayfish love to feed on various insect forms and therefore are in the same places you will find the dragonfly nymphs and the perch. I have had great success using hellgrammites to catch perch only to find out that their stomachs were full of small crayfish. The perch have the feed bag on and will not hesitate to pick up the bug as an easy meal. The nymphs are hard to keep alive after capture and the best way is to layer them in wet newspaper and keep them cold.
This is a great time to take the kids fishing. The weather is nice, the bite is on, and easy bobber fishing for them. So grab some bugs and have some fun this summer!
Just a Note on Hellgrammites
Many people; bait shops, anglers, and myself incorrectly call dragonfly nymphs, hellgrammites. The true hellgrammite is the larvae of the Dobson fly, which is also used for bait. The Dobson flies are more native to the eastern United States. The true hellgrammite can live up to 3 years underwater in that larval stage since they have gills. They can reach 2-3 inches in length and have short sharp pincers on their head that can inflict a painful bite to human hands trying to catch them. Their hard segmented bodies can survive for long periods once they are hooked to be used as bait.
Don't be dismayed if you missed out during this time frame.
There is still some good perch fishing to be had yet.
There is still some good perch fishing to be had yet.
During October and even into early November, some of the biggest perch of the open water season can be caught. When the water temperatures are much cooler, all fish species start feeding for the colder months of winter and the perch are no different. Since the bugs are all done now the bait of choice will be small minnows. Some day limits can be had other days just the big ones are on the prowl. The shallow weed beds come into play again as the warmer water of the shallows harbor the bait fish.
After the lakes turnover, the shallow bays warm from the sun compared to the rest of the water. Fishing in weed beds of the shallow bays in water 4-7 feet deep is a good place to start your quest. It can be weird at times. I have had perch come right underneath the boat to use the shade as an ambush. At other times, they are spooked by the sight of a boat, so use stealth in your approach. There is probably a reason when the perch are timid and I believe that they know that some of their predators are also on the prowl. So throw out a large minnow out on another pole and you may be pleasantly surprised with a nice walleye, northern pike, or even a muskie. The fillet knife in the picture is 11 inches long, so that should give you some idea of the size of perch you can catch.
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