# Perch crazy lately...



## twistedcatfish1971 (Jul 21, 2013)

I don't do stuff like this...but in a mood lol.

Couple folks know what's going on for sure.

Westbranch/milton/Berlin...and a spot here and there. Never had success with this coveted fish ever. It's all about grinding and <happen> chance to come across certain times for sure. Sorry with NO exact spots...always fishing...no pun intended lol.

...ice jigs and tip with favorite bait...keep it moving.

Stay twisted.


----------



## twistedcatfish1971 (Jul 21, 2013)

...tastiest for sure!


----------



## shore warrior (Apr 5, 2015)

I have been trying to target perch at Berlin for a long time! I just can't figure them out there at all. 

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk


----------



## twistedcatfish1971 (Jul 21, 2013)

...now that water levels are down. Drive around and walk around...footsteps my friend. You will find all kinds of crazy stuff that is under water in summer time hours...I like when driving down <bonner> road and looking right at the coves and that <channel> deep water line. Take a picture and apply in spring.

...same thing out and about around milton/westbranch...I sometimes find those so called channels and do some re-search with surrounding structures/deep water and make adjustments...all this from shore.

...<Time>.


----------



## shore warrior (Apr 5, 2015)

Nice! I live in Berlin Center, and I never really went and looked at the lake at draw down. I have fished it on ice but I never really went and checked everything out. I caught most of my perch on the flat by the campgrounds during the spring. I only hit the lake once this year and caught 18 crappie and less than an hour. Then I have all my time focused on Erie.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk


----------



## twistedcatfish1971 (Jul 21, 2013)

...well there you go! 18 in an hour is not bad for sure. Did you write a little something down/picture??? 

Always take notes and document something...can't always trust own mind nowadays lol.

Crappie / perch are the same with most inland lakes/resiviors...think perch deep or bottom and crappie for most part middle...make adjustments and take ur notes.


----------



## shore warrior (Apr 5, 2015)

No I just use my electronics and figure out what I am seeing. On my Garmin everything is backed up to my cloud I guess. A marker locations when I catch big thing is the only thing I am not trying to catch are walley. Every time I catch a walleye don't matter how big it is it's back in the lake. I have Erie for all my walleyes.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk


----------



## cement569 (Jan 21, 2016)

if you want perch go to nimi dam from shore off of the concrete slabs, went there yesterday after the rain in search of crappie and the perch were in there. lots of dinks but a few nice ones mixed in. didnt keep any but it was action and this time of year i cant complain......plus they tore the hell out of my soft plastics, went through alot


----------



## Uglystix (Mar 3, 2006)

Nice job! One of Ohio’s prettiest fish.


----------



## buckzye11 (Jul 16, 2009)

Nice haul! Cold water Perch fishing is always better on the inland lakes as opposed to the hot stuff... hard to catch from shore when they’re 30 foot deep most of the summer. And pretty easy to get a good bucket when temps go below 50*... everyone has their favorite way, mine is a dropshot, with a ice jig and a minnow head.


----------



## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

twistedcatfish1971 said:


> ...now that water levels are down. Drive around and walk around...footsteps my friend. You will find all kinds of crazy stuff that is under water in summer time hours...I like when driving down <bonner> road and looking right at the coves and that <channel> deep water line. Take a picture and apply in spring.
> 
> ...same thing out and about around milton/westbranch...I sometimes find those so called channels and do some re-search with surrounding structures/deep water and make adjustments...all this from shore.
> 
> ...<Time>.


That's the ticket! Way back when Lake Milton was drained I walked around all over that lake! Learned a lot! Of course, this was before the good hydrographic maps were available online. Heck, now that I think about it, it was before the internet! And the so-called "maps" they sold at the local bait shops were complete fiction!


----------



## toby2 (Jul 15, 2012)

I was surprised at all the perch we caught while crappie fishing mosquito. Too bad they were a couple of inches minimum of being keepers. Do they all stay like that or in a year or two will they be going into the cooler to become dinner and sandwiches?


----------



## ezbite (May 25, 2006)

toby2 said:


> I was surprised at all the perch we caught while crappie fishing mosquito. Too bad they were a couple of inches minimum of being keepers. Do they all stay like that or in a year or two will they be going into the cooler to become dinner and sandwiches?


There is no size limit on perch


----------



## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

In all our inland lakes that have perch, there are nice ".keepers"(I consider 8"-> "keeper")! I've personally caught them in Mogadore, Wingfoot, and Milton. Have heard of "nice" perch caught at Mosquito, WB and Berlin but never tried there. The problem is, the inland perch have to keep constantly moving(in schools-by Size) in search of food(really no enormous "bait balls" like on Erie) to keep them(relatively) stationary to put together "numbers"! This is especially true for "keeper sized" schools who need larger food sources. Except for Mogadore when I caught 36 "Jumbos"(a once in a lifetime occasion!) anchored on one location(30 or more years ago!), the most numbers of targeted keeper perch I've ever caught at one time(inland) was maybe 10-then they moved(somewhere)! Very frustrating indeed!


----------



## twistedcatfish1971 (Jul 21, 2013)

Few more perch last few days/nights. If you can get down at Berlin safely some 2 be had. Westbranch back coves are producing as well...North side of lake. Got to walk through the woods on some of them hiking trails out there.


----------



## JoeLarson3 (Dec 7, 2020)

Nice fish! Are you fishing from shore at Berlin? New to the area going to give it a walk around soon while the water is down.


----------



## twistedcatfish1971 (Jul 21, 2013)

99% of my fishing adventures are from land.

Don.


----------



## djl (Sep 20, 2014)

Twisted.... 
Beautiful coloring


----------



## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

Lure makers should give that last group pic a good long look! The one middle fish has Ten bars!! I assume the black bars are Nature's way to camoflage perch, to a predator fish, they mean Dinner! Gorgeous!


----------



## twistedcatfish1971 (Jul 21, 2013)

Gonna put in some footsteps in morning for some more...

...update later Sunday afternoon. 

Stay twisted.


----------



## justinm330 (Dec 14, 2020)

Sorry for asking. I'm new to perch fishing. Could you please tell me what kinds of lures to try for a beginner? I don't need anyone's secrets, just a basic 2 or 3 that could work for perch. Thanks


----------



## johnboy111711 (Apr 7, 2004)

justinm330 said:


> Sorry for asking. I'm new to perch fishing. Could you please tell me what kinds of lures to try for a beginner? I don't need anyone's secrets, just a basic 2 or 3 that could work for perch. Thanks


8lb test, size 6 or 4 gold Aberdeen hook and a split shot. used minnows in the spring and fall. used worms or pieces of night crawlers in the warmer months and minnows also.


----------



## justinm330 (Dec 14, 2020)

I will give that a try. Thanks for the help.


----------



## johnboy111711 (Apr 7, 2004)

use the kiss method. if the bottom has too much vegetation, try a float.


----------



## Karl Wolf (Apr 26, 2020)

justinm330 said:


> Sorry for asking. I'm new to perch fishing. Could you please tell me what kinds of lures to try for a beginner? I don't need anyone's secrets, just a basic 2 or 3 that could work for perch. Thanks


1st perch I remember catching was on a dead frog leg I found on the ground.


----------



## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

The OP is shorefishing and having good success but if you have some type of boat, a great way to catch some perch is vertical fishing as you might do ice fishing but from an anchored boat. If you own a "flasher" fish finder, even better! Use small jigging spoons, tipping with a wax worm, maggot, or piece of minnow. Study a lake map and find a mid depth basin with a soft, fertile bottom. No boat, one good way is to fish half a crawler, or small minnow, on the bottom tight-lined using a plain hook and just enough weight to cast a light line far out into a small bay or off a point.
Tip-Google "beaded fishing spoons" or "Slender Spoons"(couple of my favorites.) I've been making my own beaded spoons from thin brass, stainless steel, and pieces of chromed kitchen sink drain pipe and they Work great! Smaller "blade baits" work well also. Again, work these on light(2-4# line) for max action.


----------



## Karl Wolf (Apr 26, 2020)

c. j. stone said:


> The OP is shorefishing and having good success but if you have some type of boat, a great way to catch some perch is vertical fishing as you might do ice fishing but from an anchored boat. If you own a "flasher" fish finder, even better! Use small jigging spoons, tipping with a wax worm, maggot, or piece of minnow. Study a lake map and find a mid depth basin with a soft, fertile bottom. No boat, one good way is to fish half a crawler, or small minnow, on the bottom tight-lined using a plane hook and just enough weight to cast a light line far out into a small bay or off a point.


And that's pretty much inland perch fishing.


----------



## twistedcatfish1971 (Jul 21, 2013)

...update from last Sunday 12/13/20.

Not much going on that day. Hit up Milton spillway early with a couple buddies...very crowded at rail and some perch here/there. Ended up moving around on way back home with stops at berlin/westbranch backwoods...turned into more of a recon thing with low water pictures of structure that will be underwater come spring/summer. Ended day with a buddy getting into a muskie at westbranch...1/2 oz. hair jig and goodtime.

Fish was released and swam off nicely...actually came back and sat suspended in water for a bit.

You never know what ya get if you don't lay them boots to ground and footstep. 

Don.


----------



## twistedcatfish1971 (Jul 21, 2013)

C.J.

Actually caught a 9 inch perch that 13 bars on it from milton...didn't get a picture of course. But I was looking for a cool pattern with bars after you mentioned it last week...dam hands were frozen at time and was messing with a tangle from hell with ultra light rod lol
Don.


----------

