Canadian skilled bass angler and 2023 Bassmaster Primary champ Jeff Gustafson is conscious of the way in which to seek out and catch large yellow perch from beneath the ice.
January 26, 2024
Affiliate Disclosure: This net web page incorporates affiliate hyperlinks. We earn from qualifying purchases.
Title it a rebranding; a recent take a look at what was as quickly as a scorned bycatch, nevertheless now headlines many a barbecue. Instantly, 2023 Bassmaster Primary champion and diehard ice angler Jeff “Gussy” Gustafson loves his yellow perch, nevertheless this was not on a regular basis so.
“I’ve ice fished since I’ll stroll and rising up spherical Lake of the Woods—among the many greatest walleye lakes inside the house—you’d under no circumstances get caught ineffective conserving a perch,” Gustafson said. “Rising up, no one wanted perch. Rumors said they’ve been wormy minnow stealers.”
As he grew older, Gustafson began doing his private evaluation and found that the said-to-be-lowly perch actually equipped prime desk fare. With newest years witnessing explosive perch inhabitants growth in his dwelling waters, Gustafson has cherished ample various to dial in his ice fishing strategies.
Business
“On the west arm of Lake of the Woods the place I dwell, we used to under no circumstances get them,” he said. “Nevertheless now we’ve now a great deal of large perch as a lot as 10-11 inches.”
Gustafson surmises that the arrival of rusty crayfish and spiny water fleas—every invasive species—have positively impacted the perch in the case of quantity and prime quality. Often seeing perch spitting up crayfish pinchers and discovering every invasives on the cleaning desk, Gustafson said that native opinion signifies that these meals sources are to Lake of the Woods what the spherical goby is to the St. Lawrence River.
Regardless of the backstory, Gustafson said he finds these orange-finned dandies to be pretty the crowd-pleasers.
Business
“They positively aren’t the hardest fighters, nevertheless everytime you get spherical them, you’ll have good movement,” he said. “So for people who haven’t fished a lot or when you may have children, everytime you get on the perch, everyone’s going to catch a bunch. They’re not very picky.
“Everytime you uncover them, there’s no completely different fish that groups up like perch. In order that they’re easy to catch.”
Discovering the Fish
Like most fish, perch will focus spherical meals sources. To seek out vigorous fish, Gustafson has a number of confirmed strategies.
“Some perch will get on building, the components, the humps, rock piles,” Gustafson said. “How I’ve found them most ceaselessly is on a walleye journey and, over time, I’ve found that some reefs are greater for walleye and some are greater for perch.
“You even have mud flats—that’s the place you’ll be able to do good with large schools of perch.”
Purpose depths fluctuate by fishery, nevertheless Gustafson said he can reliably uncover perch based on readability.
“A great deal of the water I fish is pretty clear, practically lake trout water, so a great deal of the fish are fairly deep—like 20-30 toes,” he said. “Nevertheless on the additional primary walleye water with additional color, you end up getting them shallower, in that 18- to 20-foot differ.”
Baits & Take care of
Gustafson retains his perch strategies simple. As a rule, a strategic one-two punch will get the job carried out.
“After they’re vigorous and biting, a spoon is sweet because you get all the way in which right down to them quickly,” Gustafson said. “You don’t basically should go truly small similar to you do with completely different panfish. You could catch largest fish inside the college and I actually really feel like for many who use a bit higher bait, you’ve got a barely greater chance to get the bigger fish to chunk.”
Gustafson’s go-to is a 1/4-ounce Northland Buckshot Spoon, measurement in waters the place he may encounter perch or walleye. If he’s straight perch fishing, he’ll go to a smaller spoon.
When the perch play hard-to-get, Gustafson switches to a inexperienced pumpkin 1.75-inch Z-Man Tiny TicklerZ on a 1/16-ounce Northland round-head jig.
“I exploit a bit higher rod for the spoon—a (35-inch) G. Loomis 351 IMX Ice Skilled,” Gustafson said. “For plastics, I’m going mild to essentially really feel the chunk with a G. Loomis 311 IMX Ice Skilled.
“For every, I exploit 5-pound Power Skilled braid and a 4-pound Shimano Mastiff fluorocarbon chief.”
Digital Eyes
As collectively together with his bass fishing, Gustafson harnesses trendy experience to maximise his effectivity. A lot much less time on the auger means additional time fishing.
“Rising up, I used a flasher perpetually, nevertheless now I’m using Humminbird MEGA Dwell; meaning that you would be able to look over a a lot greater house,” Gustafson said. “That principally shines on a mud flat. I used to should drill a bunch of holes, nevertheless now I can drill one hole and look 100 toes in every course.
“As soon as I get on a university of perch, it’s pleasurable to position an Aqua Vu down and take a look on the fish.”
Lastly, Gustafson supplies this suggestion for frying yellow perch: Make the batter from flour, egg, and cornflake crumbs and put together dinner in butter. If he’s doing a shore lunch, he’ll put together dinner over a campfire so everyone can warmth their arms.
For the hardcore “let’s keep fishing” crowd, a propane cooker permits him to keep up the get collectively rocking whereas serving a fresh-from-the-ice meal.
Video That Would possibly Curiosity You