PRIME TIME WALLEYES AND THE SEARCH FOR PERCH - PART TWO
By: Ray Hansen
START ON THE FLATS
My search for perch normally starts on the deeper flats near the place I found walleyes. I do not start fishing blindly however. The first thing to do is start searching for a likely spot. This is done by drilling holes and looking for perch with your locator. Team up with a friend to make this process faster. One person augers a couple holes, while the other runs the locator.
You should keep moving in a “leapfrog” fashion as you cover the area. Look for smaller, individual marks one to three feet off bottom, or a kind of “bumpy bottom” signal on the screen. Of course, some anglers use cameras to speed this process. The trick is to spend time searching instead of simply “fishing and wishing”.
USE SEARCH LURES
Since most of the perch action takes place during the day and in deeper water, I use compact and slightly heavy lures to “zip” my bait to bottom quickly. I like a size 2 or 3 Swedish Pimple spoon for this approach because it gets you back in the “strike zone” as quickly as possible.
My friend Duane Deno who fishes Little Bay De Noc in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula throughout the winter, uses this tactic as well as working the smallest Jigging Rapala lures in deep water. It is very similar to the walleye tactics I mentioned, just on a smaller scale.
THE OLD “DOUBLE BAIT” TRICK
One of the deadliest live baits for perch is the “wiggler” which is a larvae type perch can’t resist. The problem with using this bait however is that they come off the hook so easily. If you get a bite in forty feet of water, but miss the fish, you might as well reel in immediately and put another wiggler on your hook. This wastes a lot of time. Perch move frequently and you have to work them as fast as you can while they are holding on your spot.
There is an approach that can help overcome this problem. Use a Swedish Pimple with a small treble hook as an example to see how this works. Load two of the hook points with at least two “spikes” (maggots) on each one. On the remaining hook point, put one spike on “sideways” first, then impale a wiggler. The spikes are a lot tougher and much harder to pull off. Even if you lose the wiggler, you still have bait down there working for you.
FINAL THOUGHTS
After you have a lengthy line of holes drilled, it can pay to go back to your starting point to re-check for active fish. Perch move a lot, and you might find some fresh action.
Lean toward orange! This color is frequently the best choice for perch.
The higher off bottom the marks on your locator show, the better. Those perch are more actively roaming and feeding. In a related observation, if you are going to run a stationary rod with a live minnow on it while jigging a second rod, use a large minnow and set it about six feet off bottom. Perch passing below your bait are more likely to see it.
And finally, keep a confident attitude! Move until you find fish and move again when the bite slows. You’ll work harder, but you’ll catch more fish.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
Showing posts with label Rat-L-Trap lures. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rat-L-Trap lures. Show all posts
Friday, December 5, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
PRIME TIME WALLEYES AND THE SEARCH FOR PERCH - PART ONE
PRIME TIME WALLEYES AND THE SEARCH FOR PERCH
By: Ray Hansen
I like getting out well before sunrise on winter fishing trips when I’m fishing a lake that holds both walleyes and perch. I usually have a specific target for walleyes, but perch are more scattered and require more searching. In this article I’ll pass along some details about a plan I use to catch both species.
WALLEYES ON STRUCTURE
If walleyes are found in a lake, you can usually count on a “sunrise bite” at daybreak. In most cases this feeding spree occurs on well-defined structure such as drop-offs, river mouths, rock piles, on and near fish cribs, or other distinct bottom features. Accordingly, you should have some target selected and be set up there before the sun comes up.
ATTRACT SOME ATTENTION
If you fire up your locator and it shows larger marks up off bottom, you probably have some actively feeding fish on your spot. You can work a jigging spoon such as a Swedish Pimple tipped with a minnow head, a thin slice of minnow meat, or the tail of a shiner or fat-head to entice a bite. If I intend to use a whole live minnow, I normally rig a split shot and plain hook. A spoon is “flashier” than other rigs, and can be given more action through rod manipulation. I use only pieces of minnows on them since an entire minnow throws off the spoon’s action too much.
As an alternative, run a lure like the Jigging Rapala which has a horizontal orientation as opposed to the spoon’s more vertical shape. On certain mornings walleyes will respond better to one than the other. With two anglers, run both lures to find out if a preference exists.
RATTLE IN SOME ACTION
The early morning bite is almost always “short but sweet” and as the sun gets higher, the fish become less active. You can sometimes extend this bite for an extra half-hour or so by using a noisy lure with a sharp ripping motion at five minute intervals on your spot. I have a second rod set up with a one-quarter ounce Lewis Rat-L-Trap lure for this purpose. Lower it to bottom, rip it sharply upward about three feet for several cycles, then reel it in and watch your locator. If your actions pull in any fish, you’ll see them. Jig your spoon rig with a softer action to see if you can tempt another “biter” or two. After that, it’s time to look for some perch.
End of part one - check in tomorrow for part two
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
By: Ray Hansen
I like getting out well before sunrise on winter fishing trips when I’m fishing a lake that holds both walleyes and perch. I usually have a specific target for walleyes, but perch are more scattered and require more searching. In this article I’ll pass along some details about a plan I use to catch both species.
WALLEYES ON STRUCTURE
If walleyes are found in a lake, you can usually count on a “sunrise bite” at daybreak. In most cases this feeding spree occurs on well-defined structure such as drop-offs, river mouths, rock piles, on and near fish cribs, or other distinct bottom features. Accordingly, you should have some target selected and be set up there before the sun comes up.
ATTRACT SOME ATTENTION
If you fire up your locator and it shows larger marks up off bottom, you probably have some actively feeding fish on your spot. You can work a jigging spoon such as a Swedish Pimple tipped with a minnow head, a thin slice of minnow meat, or the tail of a shiner or fat-head to entice a bite. If I intend to use a whole live minnow, I normally rig a split shot and plain hook. A spoon is “flashier” than other rigs, and can be given more action through rod manipulation. I use only pieces of minnows on them since an entire minnow throws off the spoon’s action too much.
As an alternative, run a lure like the Jigging Rapala which has a horizontal orientation as opposed to the spoon’s more vertical shape. On certain mornings walleyes will respond better to one than the other. With two anglers, run both lures to find out if a preference exists.
RATTLE IN SOME ACTION
The early morning bite is almost always “short but sweet” and as the sun gets higher, the fish become less active. You can sometimes extend this bite for an extra half-hour or so by using a noisy lure with a sharp ripping motion at five minute intervals on your spot. I have a second rod set up with a one-quarter ounce Lewis Rat-L-Trap lure for this purpose. Lower it to bottom, rip it sharply upward about three feet for several cycles, then reel it in and watch your locator. If your actions pull in any fish, you’ll see them. Jig your spoon rig with a softer action to see if you can tempt another “biter” or two. After that, it’s time to look for some perch.
End of part one - check in tomorrow for part two
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
BIG WALLEYES FROM SHORE
Author's note: I have several items to comment on in this blog. First, I rely on a satellite connection (Hughes) for internet access here in my part of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It is usually slow, and at times I simply cannot get connected. Last night was one of them. This is the only service available here at this time, so I guess I'll have to live with it for now.
Secondly, I'll be in bow hunting camp all of next week, so I do not plan on posting any blogs during that hunt. I may try to post an update one day during the week since I am not hunting too far from my home.
Finally, anglers casting from shore start catching big walleyes here near Escanaba, Michigan and in many other bays on the Great Lakes. I am running some information about taking advantage of this bite in today's blog. It has appeared previously here, but it is timely and I have many more readers now so I am presenting it again. I hope it inspires you to get out and try it.
By: Ray Hansen
Once Halloween nears, a new cold-weather creature comes out at night – and this one stalks big walleyes. You’ll spot this stalker at river mouths, at the deep end of piers, along rocky shorelines, on jetties, and most places where deeper water on the Great Lakes swings in close enough to shore that it can be reached with a rod and reel rig capable distance casting. Sometimes clad in chest waders, and at other times in coveralls paired with long hip boots, this walleye killer often shows mercy, releasing big fish as soon as they are reeled in.
These are the fearless members of the night patrol: anglers who have learned that big glass-eyes make a shoreward run during the late-fall season just as they do during the spring. Intercept these active fish, and you’ll get a bunch of great new stories to tell around the campfire.
I’ve got a pair of Jim Grandt rods ( www.grandtrods.com) that have proven their worth in this situation many times. The model XLH70, six-foot, six-inch spinning rod coupled with a “long-cast” style (extended spool) reel spooled with twenty-pound test Cortland Spectron line is a classic. Equally well suited to this task is the seven-foot model C-10 “All American Pro Series” medium/heavy action casting rod, a low-profile casting reel and the same line.
Pair these rods with three and one-half inch to five inch minnow-imitating lures, four inch soft plastic grubs or shad imitators on three-eights ounce jigheads, or one-half ounce Lewis Rat-L-Trap lures (especially the “glow” models), and you are basically ready to go. Tie on a strong snap to help in changing lures without having to re-tie.
Finding a productive spot may take a little detective work. Experienced night patrol members are likely to be tight-lipped about their favorite destinations. Friends that have been doing this in Michigan for many years wear dark colors, avoid using lights (when fishing from shore), and don’t even talk much while casting. You can find potentially good spots by consulting detailed topographic maps, asking discreetly at bait shops, and simply keeping your eyes open and ears on “high alert” for clues.
I once found a couple good places by noticing that nearby motels always had angler’s trucks and/or boats in their parking lots during the day, but the same lots had only tourist’s cars in them at night. The night patrol members were obviously fishing after dark and sleeping during the day! In another area of the Great Lakes, I knew a waitress at a local diner who revealed some information from overheard conversations at breakfast tables.
And how long does this big fish bonanza last? Well… I’ve seen boats catching big walleyes as long as open water allows it, often mid-December. The anglers casting from shore seem to get results through November on the upper Great Lakes.
This type of fishing will probably never become main-stream. It requires too much effort, cutting back on sleep, dressing for cold weather, fishing under sometimes uncomfortable conditions, not being able to find any friends willing to brave the elements, and related challenges. I’ll tell you this much however, enjoy one memorable night patrol trip for big marble-eyes with sagging bellies stuffed with smelt and other oily forage, and you’ll be hooked!
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
Secondly, I'll be in bow hunting camp all of next week, so I do not plan on posting any blogs during that hunt. I may try to post an update one day during the week since I am not hunting too far from my home.
Finally, anglers casting from shore start catching big walleyes here near Escanaba, Michigan and in many other bays on the Great Lakes. I am running some information about taking advantage of this bite in today's blog. It has appeared previously here, but it is timely and I have many more readers now so I am presenting it again. I hope it inspires you to get out and try it.
By: Ray Hansen
Once Halloween nears, a new cold-weather creature comes out at night – and this one stalks big walleyes. You’ll spot this stalker at river mouths, at the deep end of piers, along rocky shorelines, on jetties, and most places where deeper water on the Great Lakes swings in close enough to shore that it can be reached with a rod and reel rig capable distance casting. Sometimes clad in chest waders, and at other times in coveralls paired with long hip boots, this walleye killer often shows mercy, releasing big fish as soon as they are reeled in.
These are the fearless members of the night patrol: anglers who have learned that big glass-eyes make a shoreward run during the late-fall season just as they do during the spring. Intercept these active fish, and you’ll get a bunch of great new stories to tell around the campfire.
I’ve got a pair of Jim Grandt rods ( www.grandtrods.com) that have proven their worth in this situation many times. The model XLH70, six-foot, six-inch spinning rod coupled with a “long-cast” style (extended spool) reel spooled with twenty-pound test Cortland Spectron line is a classic. Equally well suited to this task is the seven-foot model C-10 “All American Pro Series” medium/heavy action casting rod, a low-profile casting reel and the same line.
Pair these rods with three and one-half inch to five inch minnow-imitating lures, four inch soft plastic grubs or shad imitators on three-eights ounce jigheads, or one-half ounce Lewis Rat-L-Trap lures (especially the “glow” models), and you are basically ready to go. Tie on a strong snap to help in changing lures without having to re-tie.
Finding a productive spot may take a little detective work. Experienced night patrol members are likely to be tight-lipped about their favorite destinations. Friends that have been doing this in Michigan for many years wear dark colors, avoid using lights (when fishing from shore), and don’t even talk much while casting. You can find potentially good spots by consulting detailed topographic maps, asking discreetly at bait shops, and simply keeping your eyes open and ears on “high alert” for clues.
I once found a couple good places by noticing that nearby motels always had angler’s trucks and/or boats in their parking lots during the day, but the same lots had only tourist’s cars in them at night. The night patrol members were obviously fishing after dark and sleeping during the day! In another area of the Great Lakes, I knew a waitress at a local diner who revealed some information from overheard conversations at breakfast tables.
And how long does this big fish bonanza last? Well… I’ve seen boats catching big walleyes as long as open water allows it, often mid-December. The anglers casting from shore seem to get results through November on the upper Great Lakes.
This type of fishing will probably never become main-stream. It requires too much effort, cutting back on sleep, dressing for cold weather, fishing under sometimes uncomfortable conditions, not being able to find any friends willing to brave the elements, and related challenges. I’ll tell you this much however, enjoy one memorable night patrol trip for big marble-eyes with sagging bellies stuffed with smelt and other oily forage, and you’ll be hooked!
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
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