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REEL STORIES
White Perch Fishing Tips
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Since the weather turned warm and the water temps rose the white perch have been coming on strong.
This past year was a record year for white perch and this year is looking like another one with huge numbers of fish coming to the boat. They are up in the creeks, out in the stump fields and up in the shallows and once you find one then you will find a dozen or more in the same spot.
The main pattern for white perch is to throw up on the flat and bring the bait back to the boat with the fish usually hanging out off the ledges and drop offs in five to ten feet off water. This has put them in the boat for years but with the numbers of fish now you can find them almost anywhere. I have found schools of them on points in creeks and under docks locked onto one single piling.
The main key to catching these fish is to continuously cast even if it seems like you are throwing to nothing but open water because you never know when you will run into a school chasing baitfish or moving from one spot to another.
I was doing just that when I caught a fish on an Uncle Jessie lure. When I went back for another I realized there was a log hanging on the drop off just out of sight. That log put almost one hundred fish in the boat in the next hour.
These types of days don’t happen all the time, but the do happen especially lately with the huge numbers we have in the rivers.
There are a couple of main lures to use when fishing for white perch. One is the Uncle Jessie lure and the other is a white Beetle Spin but what they both have in common is you fish them with a small piece of shrimp on the hook to ensure a good bite. I also like to throw them using light tackle and line to enjoy the fight and I will even break out the little tiny rods for under the docks.
The white perch is a great way to start kids out fishing also simply because they will enjoy the action. You can fish with a bobber and shrimp and the fun will never stop so get out there and enjoy the bite while it last.
