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Lake Erie Perch 2016


fitz67

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I was out Saturday and Monday as well. Saturday was packed and imagine it will be packed this weekend. Perch are definitely starting to spawn, quite a few spraying as you brought them in. Got into them Monday but had to move around came home with 15 Monday and 9 Saturday but threw back a bunch of the big females loaded with eggs, the ones that could get back down some had their air bladders coming out of their mouth.

I can see where the spot lock on the trolling motor is worth its weight in gold, I was moving around and would find a school but then trying to anchor on top of them was hard.

Water temps was 45 on Monday.

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Plenty of perch still not spawned out at Sturgeon yesterday. caught as many as we wanted. Some people did not do as well and watching them it seems to come down to two big problems they have. First, they need plenty of road, chain and a good anchor. Can't catch fish if you can't hold bottom and constantly move out of the hot spot. The second thing I noticed was their set ups. My God, what is this the 50's? Get rid of those giant spreader bars, stiff short rods and 10 lb+ mono. Keep it long, light and simple and you might just get more perch.

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Are you saying the guys using 8 lb braid with floro carbon leaders and fast action tip with a sinker less then two ounces out fish the others? Lol.

One huge trick to catch light biting fish is to touch bottom and slack you're line. This allows the fish to eat the minnow and feel no tension. Slowly lift rod and if there is any wieght set the hook. You will only feel the weight not a bite like if you're line was tight. When the bite is good I just let the minnow sit slack on bottom and set hook five seconds later without feeling a bite. On tough days this separates the guys that catch ten from the guys who catch five times that many.

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Excellent RD. That is the #1 way to go. The larger perch just suck that minnow down without you knowing it. A reel sensitive rod helps too. I use custom rods built by another member here, and the lightest set up I can get away with. 

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Pretty good article on the perch population in Erie in today's Buffalo outdoors by Will Elliott. I don't know how to copy and paste on my I pad but google it. Essentially, there is a drop in the perch population and no one knows why. It also went on to say that the New York harvest of Erie perch is below the sustainable levels and the DEC discussion of lowering the 50 fish limit was "off the table"

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Many perch fisherman to Lake Erie travel great distances at considerable expense because the catch

Limit is reasonable. Canada put a 25 perch limit on and many Americans quit traveling there since is not economical. Yellow perch and walleye now sell for more than $20 a pound for filets from Canada so why not have Americans catch their own perch?

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