Fishermen: the perch have “kicked-in” in East Bay a little earlier than normal. There is a good size variation, which is a plus for future prospects but makes for a little slower harvest of the large fish because the smaller perch often beat them to the bait. If there isn’t a concentration of boats to indicate where the perch are schooled, follow the grebes. They are a small diving predator that has a cal similar to a loon.

Perch can be caught on a variety of setups. We prefer a setup that has two baits. If the lower bait gets fouled with weed that leaves your upper bait weed free. The fish will most often avoid a bait that is dragging a weed. Because East Bay is rich in aquatic vegetation and the perch prefer the areas where the weeds are thickest, this type of setup allows you to fish without having to guess if you have a clean bait.

A bobber set up is also effective to avoid the weeds but there are times when the larger perch prefer a bait on or near the bottom.

We offer two types of Ready to Go Perch setups for shallow water. One has a light-weighted fly below a non-weighted fly. The other is two non-weighted flies above a bottom weight.

If you have questions of application of this approach give us a call or come by the shop and I’ll try to help you out.

Perch fishing is a great way to give young anglers a positive experience. Fast action keeps everybody happy. If you’re aiming to get somebody hooked on fishing, this is a great way to do it. If the fishing is slow, night crawlers will often be the best bait. If the fish are aggressive, perch meat or eyes will suffice.

There are also mackinaw, lake whitefish, large rough fish, and increasingly more bass cruising among the perch. So be ready for anything.

For up to the minute fishing information, give us a call at 406-675-0068 or send email to macman@ronan.net. Good Fishing, Richard “The Macman” Zimmer.