Jumbo Perch, Great Northern Pike bite starting to pick up
by Phil Schweik
This past week has seen a drastic turn around in the perch bite. I have been limiting out on very nice jumbo perch on almost every trip - sometimes in less than a couple of hours. We are fishing mud flats in 10 t o14 feet of water right on the bottom with wigglers and rosie reds. (Photo: A nice bucket of jumbo perch)
The northern pike bite has also been outstanding! We have been catching on average 20 to 30 fish a day. Now most of these northerns are in the 20 to 26 inch range but the action is about as much fun as anyone can have. We have also been targeting some very nice sized pike on other bodies of water but you won't get the quantity. The fish on these lakes average over 30 inches and up to and over 40 inches. Most of the pike are coming on large golden shiners set on tip -ups right above the weeds in 6 to 8 feet of water. But we are also seeing a number of the larger pike out roaming the sand flats in 10 to 15 feet of water adjacent sharp break lines. At left is a nice batch of northern pike for pickling.
The panfish bite is about as good as it can get and we are catching very good numbers of bluegills and crappies to create a sort of mixed-bag catch for the day. It is a lot of fun not knowing what is going to take your bait next and it is very rewarding when you feel the strike and your thinking 8 inch bluegill and a 13 inch crappie comes flopping through the hole. We are using small ice jigs tipped with waxies or spikes fishing weeds in 6 t o8 feet of water. But the key to our success is to make sure that the tip of the jig hook is covered with bait. If the hook point is exposed the fish are very reluctant to strike.
Walleye action is still an evening and early morning bite with some very good action after dark. We have been fishing a variety of lakes with both dark and clear water and it seem that the darker the water the shallower we can fish. If we are in clear water we are averaging 10 t o15 feet or deeper to find the fish and if we are in stained water we are finding them in less than 6 feet of water. Most of our walleyes are coming on small suckers or shiners that are set on tip-ups and run about a foot off the bottom.
Have a great week,
Phil Schweik
Licensed Wisconsin Hunting & Fishing Guide
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