by Dale Hainer
TFN Reporter

Perch fishing is one of the mainstays of angling opportunities in the St Clair Region. We are fortunate to have almost every gamefish species here on our doorstep but fish for fish, the Perch recieves most of the attention year round. Perch tactics and presentations are wide ranging..... there are probably as many perch fishing styles as there are anglers out here!

I always favoured one particular method to find and catch a limit of perch. Perch by their nature are a schooling fish. Find one... more are there... close by. Also, all fish by their nature can be put into a feeding frenzy when just one of the fish in a school decides to have a snack. I like to start a drift in an area where Perch should be present. A short light action rod and small reel with 4 or 6 pound test line is preferred. Using a small weight and a small hook attached to a three way swivel, a lively minnow is all that is needed to find out where the perch are. Start drifting letting the weight descend right to the bottom. The leader off the 3 way swivel to the hook should be short, no more than 6 inches long. The dropper to the sinker should be short as well.... no longer than 10 inches. Experinent with these lengths a bit but remember, Perch are bottom oriented fish. 

As you drift your boat and minnow rig along, you will eventually encounter perch. If it is a good sized keeper perch, that is where I want to fish! I have an anchor and rope ready to keep the boat in this area. Slip the anchor in quietly as to not spook the fish below and start still fishing with the same rig right on bottom. Many times I will add another hook part way up the line slightly above the first hook. Double headers are common! If the perch I catch while drifting are too small for my knife, I simply continue the drift. Perch tend to school in same sizes. 

Remember, perch are schoolers, they will come to you. Once you catch one or two, the entire school will turn on. The action can get real fast inside of an hour or so. If your perch action slows down it is probably due to the fact that a larger gamefish/ preyfish has entered the area and scurried the perch to nearby weed cover. You have two choices now. Wait for the big pike or walleye to feed up and move on or CATCH HIM. I have another rod set up and ready for this. A stout casting rod adorned with a yellow or white spinnerbait stands ready to ward off attacking prey fish. Fan cast the area until you catch the "beast" or the perch turn back onto your minnows signifying that the big bully has left the area. 

Personally, if I catch a pike in the spring of the year, I will keep him. The water is cool and the flesh of the pike will be white, firm, tender and
mild to taste. If you throw the pike back he will head for the nearest deep cover and probably sulk for a while and be of no consequence to the nearby perch. 

Two points to keep in mind. Fishing with more than one rod is against the law. Pull your perch rod in when you are casting. AND remember there is a 50 perch limit on the Lake St Clair, and its tributaries. 25 is the limit if you have a conservation licence.