Still fishing to be done, if you know where to look

[rick]

The fishing season has ended. Well, maybe for most of the line-wetting crowd, but not for all of them, or should I say us. There are still a few places offering diehard anglers the opportunity to satisfy an itch. In fact, they might just be tickled pink by the action available in a couple of special spots.

Remember those jumbo perch that showed up in the early spring in the waters of Lake Erie? Well, they have made a return visit. These voracious eaters have been hitting minnow tipped lines in and around Point Abino for the past couple of weeks. When the wind and waves have paused long enough to allow the boys (and girls) in their boats the chance to get out, they have been rewarded with some of the best fishing perch lovers could hope to have.

Limit catches of perch, some tipping the scales near the one-kilo mark, can be caught in several hours if you find the right spot.

The technique is as basic as it can get. If you have a fish finder slowly troll through the area you know the perch frequent.

When you mark a school, stop and lower your lines. If you have indeed found the perch you will know in seconds. These fish are aggressive and will often hit your bait as it is dropping towards the bottom.

If you do not have a fish finder, simply watch where the other guys are fishing and fish there. Pretty simple isn't it? If you are going to drop an anchor do it gently.

Try to drop the anchor just outside of the area where the school is and let the wind or current move you over it. Try to make as little noise as possible once you are in position.

Yelling and shouting, banging on the sides or bottom of your aluminum boat or playing your radio at ear-splitting levels will assure the school heads to a quieter location. Water is an excellent conductor of sound.

No matter how fond you are of country and western music I assure you perch are not big fans.

Light test line can sometimes out produce heavier line, but when you find a large school of perch on the feed they only have eyes for your bait.

Small hooks with long shanks are an excellent choice. Whether you use snelled hooks or drop shot you should have success.

Two hooks spaced about 25cm apart on a single line with a sinker 15cm below the bottom hook will give you a good presentation. I suggest you hook your minnows through the back and if you are using worms try small pieces rather than whole worms.

Lower your line until you hit bottom. Take up just enough line to be able to keep contact with bottom if you lower your rod.

If you find you are catching goby raise everything up slightly. Remember, according to the regulations with reference to this invading species: "If any of these invading species are caught they should be destroyed and not released back into any waters."

I mentioned limits earlier and you should be aware that there are specific limits for perch on Lake Erie.

If you have a sport fishing licence your limit is 50 perch. If you have a conservation fishing licence your limit is 25 perch.

Keep in mind that your possession limit is the same as there is no further reference in the regulations.

One complaint I have been hearing, if you really want to call it a complaint, is that every once in awhile the guys fishing with light line are getting snapped off.

It seems there are some pretty hefty smallmouth bass prowling the same waters. When they take a liking to your bait they will hammer it and if you aren't careful they will take everything.

The water temperature has fallen below 10 C and for the next couple of weeks, if you can get out on the water, the fishing should continue to be great.

Some of the anglers have been using the new artificial 'gulp' baits with success. The benefit to using the artificial bait is it can be used numerous times to catch fish after fish. If the scent starts to wear off simply dip it back into the container it came in for a recharge.

I'll be on the water until it hardens up, so I guess I'll be seeing a few of you other (should be) committed anglers chasing those schools of perch.

[Dan Andrews]

Too bad the nets came in mass to scoop up big time