perch and northern

[Guest]

I was out fishing today and caught some nice perch and a few northerns. But when about 5:00 came around nothing was biting at all. Where do all these fish go that were there earlier in the day and what should I use to try and get them? Any help would be appreciated!!!Thanks

[Guest]

Perch and pike are typically a day time fish. Once the sun goes behind the trees the perch often shut off as well as the pike. Most ice fishermen out after dark are fishing for walleyes and crappies. If there are crappies and walleyes in the lake you are fishing you could switch tactics and give that a try. Action can be very good for crappies after dark, just like the action of perch during the day.

Good Fishin, Matt.

[Steve Foss]

Northernboy:

Perch are daytime fish because they don't see well in low light. A perch out after dark is vulnerable to mugging by walleye, which love to eat them.

Sometimes you can get a pike at or after dark, but it's not very common. I don't know if it's for the same reason perch stay indoors when dark comes or not.

But I vote with MJ5. Most lakes with pike/perch have crappies or walleyes, too. One of my favorite pastimes is watching pike tip-ups during the day and switching to an evening walleye bite an hour before sundown until about an hour after sundown.

[This message has been edited by stfcatfish (edited 02-09-2003).]

[Guest]

Thanks guys. I catching the perch in about 15 feet of water. Should I move out deeper when the afternoon comes around? Or should I just stay put?

[Guest]

Are you close to deep water or are you on a flat? If you are on a good size flat or bar you could catch walleyes there at night too. If there are any holes near by with moderate depth (20-40 feet) it might be a good bet for crappies. Crappies could be roaming the flats too. If you know of any rockpiles or weedbeds that might be an option. Crappies typically either suspend over holes or relate to structure this time of the season. Shortly they will be moving shallow to prepare for the spawn. Find obvious structure on the flat and you will find fish. Let me know if you have anymore questions.

Good Fishin, Matt

MJ5 and Fishing Minnesota...
http://frida.blc.edu/~mjohnson/mj5.html