Saving the Best For Last
by Rick Olson

While the best walleye action of the season may have come and gone, there's no good reason to put your ice fishing gear away, at least not yet. Not when there's some monster perch to be had, and not when the best action of the hardwater period is upon us. Icing big jumbo perch is what it's all about, and staying home simply isn't an option. Staying home won't get your pole bent, and it won't fill a bucket, and won't be all that much fun. Instead of hanging it up you might as well get with the mid winter perch progam and see ifyou can chase down and catch a batch of the green and yellow pot bellied pigs.

They say that timing is everything and with that being so there's no better time than the present to get the program started. Now is when the the big perch really get going, and when phenomenal catches are often made. Also, the later in the season you go the more likely you are to run into warmer and more comfortable weather conditions which makes everything go a little easier, and don't let an early warm up keep you off the ice.

Contrary to popular belief, those soaring air temperatures do not have an immediate effect on the overall condition of the ice. It actually takes an extended period of extremely warm air temps that last through the night to start to break down the ice. Even with afternoon air temps pushing fifty plus degrees, those highs are often reached for a very short period of time. And if night time temps are dropping below the freezing mark you get into a period of limbo that can keep ice conditions in the safe zone for an extended period of time. The first good thaw of the late ice season usually does little more than melt the remaining snow cover, and makes getting around a lot easier. However,when it does happen the melted snow will run into any open hole or crack and can turn a small opening into something much larger and can present a real danger, if you’re not careful.

Finding late season perch is not all that difficult fortunately, and is another good reason for zeroing in on green and yellow gold. There is a definite migration that late ice perch go through, and often leads them back to many of the same places they started the ice fishing season on. Good places to look include shallow rocky bars and reefs, as well as sandy flats and drop offs. These areas can really load up with perch, and can make for some fantastic action. However, the key to finding and catching the largest of the species often lies further offshore, out in the middle of nothing.

Basin areas can hold the lion's share of the biggest perch available and they can be just about anywhere.  To find them you better be ready to make some major moves and prepared to drill a lot of holes. Perch running the basin are usually holding tight to the bottom and you can't really see them with your electronics, that is until you start working a bait up off the bottom.

Small jigging baits like a #2 Jigging Rap tipped with a minnow head or tail, or a waxie or two, are top picks for attracting and catching jumbo perch. With a spoon you'll quickly know if you're in the right neighborhood when fish start showing themselves on the depth finder. By jigging a Rap a couple of feet off the bottom, fish will move in and under your bait where they are easily seen. It really doesn't take that much time to get fish to show themselves and ten minutes or so spent without any evidence of life means it's time to head forthe next spot.

The next basin spot may be a hundred yards or more this way or that, and which way you go will depend on how much area you have to look at and how much time you have. You really can't put a finger on it and will take some hard work and time wasted to get the job done, but it is a job worth doing. The only way to accomplish the task is to drill, look, and move, until you find what you're looking for.

When you do run into fish it would be a good idea to drill some extra holes in the immediate area so you can make small moves when things slow down. A hot hole can completely shut down, at least for a short time, and a small move may keep you over active fish. You might also drill the holes in pairs so you can work two holes at the same time, it you legally can.

Besides the Jigging Rap, a tiny jig tipped with a small minnow or waxie suspended below a bobber can often trigger reluctant fish into biting. The Rap will call them in and the suspended bait might be what it takes to close the deal. Although perch will often move in tight to the bottom, by setting the float so the bait rides a couple of feet up it becomes more visible where active fish can see it and respond to it. The fact is when you're on active perch you really don't have to be that fussy about your presentation, but when things get tough it's the little things that can make a difference.