Deep clear water....

[O2Fish]

I need some help for the weekend coming up. Im more of a perch/walleye guy but Im getting into tip up gators. They have been getting some pigs out of the lake I am going to fish. I heard of an 18lb from last week. This is a deep fast dropping natural lake full of perch of all sizes. I caught one small gator 2 weeks ago and that was the only one. How do I catch northern in a deep dropping lake? Hold the baits right up next to shore in the shallow water or out in the deep parts? The perch are out on the bottom in 30-40 fow and I will be jigging them with one of my 4 lines.

Sorry this is a lot of randoms but I need some help!! Any more info that would help you decide where you would go?

[eyehead]

I fish a lake jsimilar to that for pike.....There are tons and I mean tons of little 3-4" perch out there. It seems that you can get one here and there off the flats,weedlines,ect where the perch are...But we have done the best in either crappie holes or shallow cabbage or coontail where the sunfish are. Find the crappie and sunfisherman if ya got them in that lake and there should be some big pigs hangin around that area.

[O2Fish]

Shallow water by the reeds? What depths? For pike i usually use quick strikes snapped straight onto the dacron. Would I be better off with circles or a single treble and a mono or floro? The water is pretty clear....I just don't know how sensitive these pike are to line when a big smelt is hanging there.

[Random guy]

I like eyeheads approach but I take it a bit further if the structure will let me pull it off. Look for the panfishermen then look for nice travel routes on the breaks leaving that area such as reef, weed line or even a inside turning break that serves as a deep water escape from the panfish areas.

Pike will be traveling those routes as they hunt, just think the drive up at McDonalds. Plus if you can swing it you may be in a perch area also so you cover two major food sources on those breaklines.