St Marys perch

[chopiq]

Talked to my Dad on Sunday and it seems that they are picking up a few perch along the East bank. They are spotty but not far off the bank. A few went over 13".

[The_Duck_Hunter]

This is true. They are spotty, but as this weather turns more Autumnish (is that a word?) they should keep coming into shore.

Boaters can fish off both the beaches and shore fisherpeeps can fish off the East Bank.

I plan on giving a try this weekend. I managed to get out of having to work!

I'll try with live minners on a hook and splitshot rig and also with a jig and 1/2 minner under a bobber.

If that dont work I'll go to the store buy some tilapia and just pretend!

[Pond Hopper]

They're up close! - Just to let you know, gang, the perch have moved in close to shore. I went last Friday AM in not the best of conditions to Celina & brought home 14; two 8 inchers & the rest 9-11 1/2". To boot, they were 2-3 inches wide. A friend who lives near the west bank just e-mailed me that the "big ones" are being taken all over the lake from shore! Caught all of mine on minnows with the stomach squished open (cut bait to some)

[bill_gfish]

Thanks for the post, I think you made my mind up on what I am fishing for today. Been a few times earlier this year with my kids and caught a couple drum. I don't eat fish often and get a chuckle out of people watching me throw them back and the looks I get. If I can get motivated and get out I'll post back my results.

Bill

[Pond Hopper]

Hey, "bill_gfish, I'm glad to see someone else is still out there crazy enough to fight the weather & wet the line before ice season. Gave it a try Saturday once more at the west bank park near Celina. Fished off the old narrow docks before the heavy winds set in. Perch weren't really the answer as I only got 1 with cutbait. However, I had a ball catching gills on waxies. - Nothing super with the largest 8". I did get 1 nice 11 inch crappie on cutbait. One fellow who stopped by said guys "reported" they had the perch turned on during the week. How reliable, I don't know. It was fun for me. - You just have to dress as if you are ice fishing! Note: Park improvement - Just north of the old docks I was on, further out on the point, they have put in 8 or so tied-together floating docks. They don't have ramps to them yet, so I don't know if they want you on them yet. Along the edges of them should be a lot of area to try fishing soon.

[bill_gfish]

sat on the east side for about 3 hours (11-2). On the first and second stone piers. Tried high and low minnow, pieces of night crawler, and a gut busted minnows and never even got a sniff. Did get a nap though! Really wasn't all that cold at all with the sun out, had alot of the wind bocked as well. oh, well, perch fishing is relaxing way for me to get out. Will, keep trying as well.

Bill

[The_Duck_Hunter]

A guy I work with who used to own one of the bait stores here in S.M. was on vacation all last week ( week of the 29th).
One day he went out and caught the nicest bucket of crappie he's ever caught out of our lake. He said he only kept 20 of the fish since they were so big. 10" being the smallest and 12", the largest. The next day he caught 15, but had to quit early so he could see his son off to the state play offs. They bit for 3 days. He fished the South side.