I figured after 3 or 4 very cold nites that the edges would re-freeze, and it looked like good edges all around RP this morning..I chose the farthest West side entry area..a bit too rocky for ingress/egress, but doable..my sled already has holes, so no worries..little shallower than I'd wanted, but some marks on bottom right away, and BINGO, decent action and good average sized perch all morning, til I had enough at noon..wind direction changed, snow starting about when I got back to truck, and snow most of the way back to SLC..some kept ave 81/2", but most culled and kept were 9 to 93/4", just really nice fish..bite still hot at noon, hard to quit..sometimes used 2 poles..1 with donor eyeball on small wonderbread white jig, 2nd rod with small cut perch belly meat, also on small white jig with home-painted wonderbread dots..both very effective, but cut perch meat generally catches my bigger perch..Guluk...hope the edges hold up for awhile..be safe, use your ice prod at edges..
Good job Joe. I’m with you - hope these edges hold up for a bit. A couple more batches of perch fillets would be nice!
Nice job and thanks for the report, the info is appreciated... Later Jeff
Thank you so much for the good news and great report!
How thick was the ice?
Thanks for the report.
Ice thickness where I drilled was solid 6"...re-frozen edge where I got on maybe 2 or 2.5"..when I got there about 0745, there was a guy scooting around in his Snow Dog, so no issue for him either that I could see..
(02-12-2025, 10:37 PM)Jmorfish Wrote: [ -> ]Ice thickness where I drilled was solid 6"...re-frozen edge where I got on maybe 2 or 2.5"..when I got there about 0745, there was a guy scooting around in his Snow Dog, so no issue for him either that I could see..
Thanks for the report. Curious on the belly meat. Do you skin it, just leave the skin on? How big of piece do you use? Eyeball is a go to, but interested in the belly meat.
Leave skin on for sure..it'll stay on much longer..meat alone would work great, but used up fast like wax worms...cut small pcs from your last trips catch..freeze about 8 pcs..I change out after about 10 or so fish..I cut small pcs, about 1/8" by about 1/2", sometimes add a little liquid flavor to a small baggie before I stick in freezer..then thaw in fridge the nite before..I guess you could cut some pcs off your first catch out on ice,but I never have..always bring some with me..Guluk..
Like most perch jerkers, I found that if you count on catching the first perch...to get eyes or strips...you sometimes gotta work a while to find that first "donor". So, on any trip...open or hard water...when I am catching perch smaller than I want to keep I keep a few anyway...to cut up for future bait. Then, when I get home I turn them into PPP...processed perch pieces. That way I have prime bait from the first cast or drop.
I am attaching a PDF file I put together on this subject. I might add that if you wanna get fancy, you can use a pair of small scissors to make the tail end of your perch pieces either come to a point...or even cut them into a V so there are two ends to flutter.
And...perch pieces ain't only for perch. I have caught just about every species available in Utah on this stuff.
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(02-13-2025, 03:26 PM)TubeDude Wrote: [ -> ]Like most perch jerkers, I found that if you count on catching the first perch...to get eyes or strips...you sometimes gotta work a while to find that first "donor". So, on any trip...open or hard water...when I am catching perch smaller than I want to keep I keep a few anyway...to cut up for future bait. Then, when I get home I turn them into PPP...processed perch pieces. That way I have prime bait from the first cast or drop.
I am attaching a PDF file I put together on this subject. I might add that if you wanna get fancy, you can use a pair of small scissors to make the tail end of your perch pieces either come to a point...or even cut them into a V so there are two ends to flutter.
And...perch pieces ain't only for perch. I have caught just about every species available in Utah on this stuff.
Thank you. Hope you can get out fishing in someone's boat. I'd take you out here in Nebraska any time.
(02-13-2025, 10:20 PM)Foamy8 Wrote: [ -> ]Thank you. Hope you can get out fishing in someone's boat. I'd take you out here in Nebraska any time.
You're welcome. And thank you for the kindly offer. Not likely I'll hobble as far as Nebraska but I have some similar offers here in Utah. So maybe I'm not "done" yet. Just don't stick a fork in me to find out.