By Louie Stout
If the weather cooperates, Lake Michigan perch fishing should be good this year.
Some big jumbos are already being caught by anglers fishing deep around Burns Ditch and Michigan City, said Lake Michigan Fisheries Biologist Ben Dickinson.
And that’s not the only good news. Dickinson’s crew spent last week running nets in 30 to 45 feet of water and turned up a record number of perch.
Last week’s catch was twice the number his crew captured last year, which coincidentally, was a record catch at that time.
“Most of the fish we say last week were 8 to 9 inches and males and they were ripe, so the spawn is in full swing,” he said Tuesday. “However, the females, which get bigger, are deeper than that right now.”
The adult fish likely represent a strong 2015 and 2016 year class.
By Louie Stout
Some may find the hot weather unbearable, but it’s been a Godsend for Lake Michigan perch anglers.
Perch fishing was outstanding last week with a lot of nice ones being caught.
Lake Michigan biologist Ben Dickinson said he’s seen quite a few 10 to 12 inchers caught with a few in the 14- to 15-inch size range.
St. Croix Report
Winter has released its icy grip and lakes, reservoirs and rivers are once again open for springtime fishing. And that means prime time for panfish, especially crappies and bluegills as they make their migration from deeper waters into the shallows before the annual spawn.
We talked with several St. Croix panfish experts about their favorite presentations, tactics and gear in order to help get anglers get prepared and motivated to chase these full-on-fun species.
Angling Edge’s Jeremy Smith Talks Early, Countdown Crappies
Although versed in everything that swims, from bass to walleyes to muskies, Minnesota-based St. Croix pro and Angling Edge co-host Jeremy Smith admits springtime panfish are one of his favorite bites of the entire year.
“I pretty much use the 7’ light power, extra-fast action St. Croix Panfish Series rod for everything panfish-related in the spring. It’s kind of my go-to rod with exception of using the 9’ light power, moderate-fast action (PFS90LMF2) Panfish Series rod for dipping crappies and the cane-poling technique when they’re in shallow and around structure,” says Smith.
MDNR Report
You can find panfish in nearly every inland lake in Michigan…but a specific panfish you won’t find very often are redear sunfish. They’re somewhat larger than bluegill, with adult fish ranging from eight to 12 inches.
You might find redears, also known as “shellcrackers” as they love to eat snails, in several lakes in the southern portion of the Lower Peninsula, but many folks don’t know they’re not native.
“There was a big project several years ago to stock these all over,” explained Jeff Braunscheidel, a DNR fisheries biologist based out of Waterford. “We had this idea that they would provide an opportunity to catch trophy panfish, as they get bigger than the average bluegill or pumpkinseed.”