I'm new to Big Fish Tackle. I've been reading the forums for awhile now and appreciate soaking up any info I can to try and be a better angler. I moved back to Utah recently after being out of state for awhile and have just gotten back into fishing. I've had a lot of fun this last year targeting trout, but I want to branch out a bit. I've read some archived posts on BFT that have mentioned some good places to hook into some perch. Places like Mill Meadow, Fish Lake, Rockport, Pelican Lake and Deer Creek. I haven't caught perch through the ice since high school, and that was at Deer Creek. I was hoping to get some feedback from you seasoned anglers on where you've had recent success for perch through the ice? I'm not interested in your favorite spots, just bodies of water that have them? Any replies would be appreciated.
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Pineview, Mill Meadow, and Fish Lake are all great for perch fishing.
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Pineview at Cemetery point!
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I agree with tdt pineview is good for perch just don't expect any monsters.
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Perfect, thanks! I have never fished Pineview before, guess I'll have to take a trip up there. I was planning a trip to Mill Meadow the first week of January but maybe I'll head up to Pineview instead?
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Starvation = bazillions of em. Just give it a few weeks to be safe.
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Everybody has given good advice! I will second pineview and starvation and add mantua(because you can catch #'s. Never fished mill meadow but have heard great things!!. Hopefully pv will produce some bigger perch!!
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Dont go to Pelican for Perch, you will be let down. There are none in Pelican. However if your lookin for LMB or gills thats your place. [
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Bryce, Mill Meadow can be crazy at times. Took the grand kids down there last year and must have caught a bizillion, lots of little guys but brought home 30 or so for dinner. We'll have to go try it again one day.
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Pineview...check! Starvation...Check! Mantua...Check! Mill Meadow...check! Fish Lake...check! Guess I'll be investigating new waters this winter, should be fun. No one has mentioned Deer Creek? I'm a little bummed just cause DC is less than a 30 min. drive for me.
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Deer Creek is good but you will have to work for them. I found them south of the island in 40 to 50 ft. Just be prepared to keep moving. I drill about 20 holes in a X pattern covering about 30 yards square and hole hop. Area dies down move and drill again. And you will get the occasional rainbow to liven things up.
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is deer creek froze?
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[quote sdcfan]Pineview...check! Starvation...Check! Mantua...Check! Mill Meadow...check! Fish Lake...check! Guess I'll be investigating new waters this winter, should be fun. No one has mentioned Deer Creek? I'm a little bummed just cause DC is less than a 30 min. drive for me.[/quote]
[center]Welcome aboard!
There are perch in Willard too. Probably not the numbers you'll find at the list you've collected. Sounds like your mid-state or so. But if you make it north-er than Mantua, both Hyrum and Newton hold schools of perch. Again - not gonna see the fatty chunkers Starvation has. But at Newton or Pineview - you might get a Musky the liven things up! (plus both have Crappie).
I've heard several folks talk of some good sized Perch at Mantua 10-12"ers - not bad. Hope I can find some!
Thanks for the recommendation. I've been up to Willard to do some hunting in the past, sounds like a good excuse to do a 2fer! I've got a good list going, now I just need to try and find some good topography maps for these waters. Anybody know a good website where I can find some maps?
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you know, Fish Lake is an amazing perch fishery, Last Ice season, I would head out just past the moss line, drop the camera and watch the perch, there are tons and tons of them, we would then proceed to catch a bucket full and we would then head deeper to work on the trout, splake and lakers, while we fished we would sit and fillet the perch and cook them up right there on the ice, WOW, pretty darn good. I was surprised at the size of some of them were were catching, many over 10" most in the 8"-9" range, sure tasty fillets though. Fish lake is such a great fishery for other species the perch are mostly overlooked. We love to set the kids up to catch them all day while we focus on the trout.
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+ 1 on Pineview. In the last two years it's not been unusual for me to catch a hundred in a day thru the ice - if I move around a lot. BUT, catching one that's been over 5" has been really hard! [
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Unless it's a big lunker trout, perch are perhaps my favorite to fish for on the ice. Ones of size haven't been as easy to find for me the last two winters. But I'm hoping for better this year.
I did very well for perch at DC in open water last month, decent size too! But went back a few weeks later and the conditions were identical and I couldn't find 'em. Folks tell me that it's a quirky lake! [
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[quote sdcfan]Thanks for the recommendation. I've been up to Willard to do some hunting in the past, sounds like a good excuse to do a 2fer! I've got a good list going, now I just need to try and find some good topography maps for these waters. Anybody know a good website where I can find some maps?[/quote]
I found a good topo map of Starvation at Sportsman's Warehouse. Waterproof, tear resistant, and two other lakes on the back
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[quote KC5]you know, Fish Lake is an amazing perch fishery, Last Ice season, I would head out just past the moss line, drop the camera and watch the perch, there are tons and tons of them, we would then proceed to catch a bucket full and we would then head deeper to work on the trout, splake and lakers, while we fished we would sit and fillet the perch and cook them up right there on the ice, WOW, pretty darn good. I was surprised at the size of some of them were were catching, many over 10" most in the 8"-9" range, sure tasty fillets though. Fish lake is such a great fishery for other species the perch are mostly overlooked. We love to set the kids up to catch them all day while we focus on the trout.[/quote]
Please forgive my ignorance, but how do you cook perch on the ice? Do you bring a hibachi or something? I'd really love to try this. Thanks!
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Lots of great perch spots on this post that I've seen. I fish at a lot of them, my best advice is to meet with some of these people on the ice and pick their brains while fishing. There are only a few people that will actually come ask anything. If I'm out on the ice I'll try and help ya out.
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Lizard,
We usually take out a stove on the ice with us, I pre-mix the batter, and as I fillet the fish I stick em in the bag of batter, once I have enough we fire up the grill, I have a small fryer pot, through in a bit of oil and WOW, everyone comes running, I even to that with trout occasionally, nothing better that nice hot battered perch, a cup of hot chocolate, on a cold winter ice fishing day.
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