Sk8man

Dragging a jig along bottom will work too

I had to very carefully set up my track thing because of the position of the bimini support as well. Here is a pic of my previous setup that handled both Seth greens, and diver rods etc. although it was a bit clumsy reaching for rods

I have 2 sets of gimbals and although I can run 4 riggers I usually only run two on the back two gimbals and use the two more forward ones for the divers and board rods with three holders on each mounted to 17 inch tracks.

Here is a pic:

Ummmmm and what about the supposed 4 billion dollar deficit this year?

Looks as though some folks are taking this  discussion too seriously. I haven't done the balloon thing for more than 30 years. I only keep about 15 perch at most, and most of the time I give them either to friends I am fishing with or I fillet them for elderly folks that can't get out. My view that has been expressed to the DEC more than once is that the current limit of 50 (for the Finger Lakes) is absurd given the popularity of the species, which is also allowed for sale (which I don't support) and the current extreme fishing pressure on them in most places. In addition the advancement of stuff like Panoptics and the like has radically changed the equation as well as the fact that mild winters now allow more concentrated fishing for perch for much more of the season. More and more guys are winter fishing them (which I also do). I imagine my view on it isn't real popular and could generate some negative commentary but this is a forum for discussion so......

If the thread is carefully read it will be noted that the balloon thing was a reference to the past and was half in jest

1 hour ago, Gill-T said:

Whenever I hear about ice fishermen losing their life walking on thin ice to go catch a 10” fish, I shake my head. The balloon trick adds a whole new level of Zany 🤪 to my view of perch fishermen as a group lol. Is there any support group available to help you guys??

They gave up on us years ago when someone asked if we went to school with Fred Flintstone

I don't keep any 13 inches plus so when I have done it I attached the balloon to a larger one hoping that it was part of a pack of good ones and they have a little more power to get away from the boat. Just take a length of mono with a size 2 hook on one end and  and hook it to the cartilage part of the mouth so it won't easily pull out. Tie up a relatively small balloon and then tie the other end of the line to it. You can usually release the fish afterward as it is often in good shape. They often try to get back to the school so that's your cue

You are welcome on my boat anytime Gill

yep you got it Mike.

Great, but that is not the water clarity we deal with. It looks there as cloudy as after a rain, and yes the perch are less wary in that condition, but all I know is what I have seen during much of my 78 years fishing the Finger Lakes .

When ice fishing if you look down the hole and watch perch when someone makes loud noise on the ice (as in power auger nearby, walking with cleats without snow etc.) they scatter - sometimes for quite awhile before they return. Also, when the water is very clear in shallow water in a boat you can come up on a school, and when someone walks around or moves on the boat they can scatter. Even when they detect movement of the boat in shallow clear water. I've seen it happen dozens of times over many years so it isn't a "random event or behavior".

The silver one at lower left is a Les Davis

$2.05 (I'm a big spender)

Magee is pretty good but over priced in my opinion. I had a lot of canvas done by him when I got my boat new and then later had to have it re-sewn because of the cheap thread that was used for the seams which deteriorated in the sunlight (to the tune of $800). John Mann of Sodus Bay Canvas is a much better option both in terms of quality and pricing. There is a big difference in the quality of thread used for the seams and most folks don't realize it and the good stuff is quite a bit more expensive.

Best of luck with the boat John. Looks like a great deal for someone and I know you take a lot of care for your stuff so whoever buys it will be a "happy camper".

The paint job on these spoons looks about as good as it gets!

Frogger. It was probably from arm wrestling Signalman for the honor of pulling up the anchor. 

Bob: Anyone who thinks they have perch totally figured out is fooling themself.  They have become more line shy and more easily spooked by the clear water as Brian says.

Spot lock is very useful when the water isn't moderately rough but it can jump the lock under those conditions and can be a constant battle. Sometimes perch want the bait moving so drifting can be more effective and as soon as you stop and lock up or anchor they may stop hitting. Sometimes they respond better to jigs dragged along the bottom and won't touch suspended bait. When anchoring some guys just get in a hurry and throw the anchor out and then wonder why the fish aren't hitting. It pays to gently and quietly slide the anchor into the water; and some folks make a lot of noise walking around in their aluminum boats and drop things on the floor etc.....not great either.

If using an anchor it can be productive drifting until you find a school or pod of perch and coast by them and slowly and quietly slide the anchor in the water once past them aways and cast back into them from a bit of a distance. It is especially important to be away from them and not directly on top of them when you stop or anchor. Usually once the boat has been there anchored up awhile the perch can be less skiddish and may end up near and under the boat and it is a matter of trying to keep them there once it happens which is a reason for using one rod as a "dead stick". There are times when perch don't give a rats butt about any of it and will hit regardless of what you are doing.... if you have the right bait.

Yep. A lot of folks call the silver bass and white bass the same thing too. I think the white perch is actually a member of the bass family.

16 hours ago, whaler1 said:

Are white perch and silver bass the same thing?

Just different names for the same thing Bill. I think the Silver Bass is kind of a "local" designation. We used to catch bunches of them at May's Point and the Seneca River as a kid.

The unfortunate thing (among  many) relating to the use of Artificial Intelligence is that they are now able to couple a photo with the actual voice of someone so it will be very difficult if not impossible to spot some of these scams.

Running "fake" meat as you note has the opportunity to "tune" the bait much more than running true meat rigs or "live" rigs. Running them on lake O for Pacific salmon is a bit different than running them for lakers or browns/Atlantics on the Finger Lakes too as the salmon on Lake O aren't mainly bottom dwellers so you are running them fairly high in the water column with your other stuff or somewhat below it. On the Fingers meat rigs are often run much more near the bottom and frequently with frozen sawbellies rather than imitation bait. A lot of times folks run surface oriented stuff along with the meat rigs or even riggers up considerably higher. The right speed for the roll of the bait in that situation is very Touchy" to get right and maintain along with running spoons and that is what I was referring to Rick. The range of adjustment isn't any where near what it is for the stuff you are running (ie. the "fake" bait). In that respect I think the newer stuff is superior.

I would add that it can be more difficult to get things running right when you mix things up. Running meat effectively highly relates to running it at the right speed so that the bait is rolling right. When you add spoons to the mix it is important to know which spoons to use so that they run at compatible speed with the bait. Often the effective running speed for meat rigs is considerably slower than that for many spoons and different also than other attractors such as flashers and dodgers. Just something to be aware of. Direction of current can also be a complicating factor.

One of the things to be aware of is that often the larger the hook size the fewer hits when the perch are fussy which is "usually" They also don't seem to like exposed hook points.

Thanks for re-posting Stan. Rick gave an excellent update on the current status of things from the ten years ago that the original post was made. All this stuff is still relevant.  Rich emphasized the most critical part of the whole thing : the roll and getting it right. It makes all the difference in the world in results.

23 hours ago, Long time fisherman said:

Thanks again Sk8man! 🙂 At 80 im pritty much a fair weather fishermen..🥶 Good luck ice fishing!! 

I guess I can relate as it is a question mark for me as well from year to year at 78

It was an American Eel Pete. I know lampreys are a delicacy in Europe.....they can have them!  I must admit I do like seeing them though with their heads off