Are you ready for perch? Been working my sources word is they are catching at Cascade Idaho .. Those of you that chase perch on ice are already aware that this water is special .. Cascade broke the Idaho state record twice and a world record in 2014 ice season .. There have been many perch ponds that have seen Glory Days in Utah Deer Creek, Pineview, Echo and the Legends of buckets full of 2 pound plus giants from Yuba .. The hours spent chasing these creatures, the excellent anglers that pursued them and the many delux dinners they provided for family and friends .. Mantua is most likely to be added to this list this year as a place to be perched on ice .. The Tackle boxes filled with many different lures that on any given day are Killers .. The two top lures I've used are the Crippled Hering and the Sonic Baitfish both baited with perch meat or eyes .. What are your best lures, baits and waters for these great fish? Please share your thoughts and pictures ....
PERCHED [fishon]
"Fishin'.. Makes me
inside & out"
These pics are a few of the whoppers the last two seasons !!
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I've heard great things about Cascade...those are some very nice fish!
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I have had the pleasure to fish them all including Starvation in Utah and C.J Strike in Idaho for the big perch. Big baits catch big fish. Come on hard deck.
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Ice fished Pineview, Newton, Echo, Mantua, Hyrum bodies of water and have produced once you located them there are some nice size Perch and Crappie...However, the past couple years not as easy to locate the big'n as in the past.
Now after visiting that body of water several times roughly 400 miles one way North of the border, well we are PERCHED and well worth every mile. Here's a link for recent info:
[url "http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/media/viewNewsRelease.cfm?newsID=7969"]http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/...ease.cfm?newsID=7969[/url]
For lures well that would be Swedish Pimples, Sonic Bait Fish, Rapala Rippin Rap, Rapala Jigging Rap, Custom Jigs & Spins Nuclear Ant Jigs.
Bait for tipping hmmmm depends but have used Wax Worms, Spikes, Mouse's, snipet of Crawler, Perch Eyes/Meat.
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when's the best time for cascade? I cut my perch teeth for years on CJ, never had the need to go further north, but would really enjoy some jumbo fishing
thanks
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Those are some big beautiful trophy perch for sure. For all you interested in Cascade, you might check out this InDepthOutdoors YouTube video on Cascade perchin at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAe1gamz-Ug . It would be a ton of fun to catch a bunch of those big pigs but I'd never eat one. I prefer keeping a couple dozen of the 8" to 11" variety for filleting and eating. That being said, the IDFG isn't too concerned about the perch population being over harvested -- "Given the size of C.J. Strike Reservoir, the amount of available habitat, and the amount of fishing pressure - we just can't see a scenario where anglers were driving the population. Our advice would be - catch and take home as many as you are willing to fillet and eat."
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I've watched some shows on you tube about the perch fishing at cascade, got a kick out of the one that showed the young girl with the new world record perch at 11 1/2 pounds. [crazy]
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Great advice .. 2 pound yellow perch known as jumbos take an astonishing 6 to 8 years to grow in good conditions .. Keep what will make a meal and invite your friends for dinner .. Quality is always the best resource to share ...
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Best time for a record is February as the pre spawn females are the largest perch of the year .. The up lake right now is producing early success on about 7 inches of ice .. Best time - fishing is always good right now
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Hey Mike, that's a fun one to talk about thanks for bringing up the topic... I think we'd all dream of catching perch that size, but experience has shown it takes a lot of skill or luck for me to pull it off... It's a pretty big pond to find the right spot and get into the jumbos, then to talk one into biting makes a fun trip... Understand it's a good idea to take a snowmobile to get around and then plan on a couple days to figure out where to be and how to catch them... Thanks for wetting the appetite... Later J
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For interested folks who want a trip...snowmobiles must get registered meaning a sticker. Cost is $32.50 and good until 31 October. ATVs no requirements. Fee for sleds goes to the area you designate for grooming trails. Best time to fish with good ice is Jan till ice off with each month Them Perchzillas (females) only get beefier as the eggs grow....popular spots are in walking distance the prime locations you need to have a means to travel. That's been our experience...find them changes in bottom contour you'll find some Jumbos. Having transportation is strongly recommended but big'ns can be found if you can only walk...lots of nice Trout in Cascade also...
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Have had the pleasure of fishin' for those Cascade jumbos, both thru the ice and from a boat, for the past three years since my son got a cabin up there. Have to admit that I am fully addicted! Looking forward to spending a week there second week of January. Anxiously hoping the ice will continue to form, esp the upper lake. If any of you plan to be there then, send me a PM and we can compare notes on hot spots.
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Share notes!! Hell I wanna be in your back pocket. Any extra room in that Cabin Trueblue2? I'm a damn good cook. LOL
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Thanks for the heads up and the teaser. I may have to try and get a group and go up for a little fun this winter. Please keep us in the loop as I am a foot soldier on the ice. Any suggestions on places to stay that will not break the bank.
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PAKFAN,
I agree we have had some success this year when presenting larger fish fry and have managed to scrape out several in the 12" range...attempt to try various smaller ice flies etc and notta....or you will catch the dinks...
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I know you responded to Mike but thought I'd help on info. I'm sure Mike won't mind. Place to stay...Birch Glen: 1 (208) 382-4238 Great folks awesome rates as they gear to the outdoors folks!! Fishing locations Sugarloaf Island but a long hike 2 miles without sled and that's if Stonebreaker road is passable to get you to boat ramp area. Then north west side of lake is Poison Creek they do plow that area and easy walking onto ice but again a potential 1-3 mile hike as the water level is low. Last I heard 48% capacity...Hike could be in access of 2 miles. Crown Point in town south end by dam is good as we've caught 12-14" plus there and south end is good for trout as it's deeper cuz you're closer to dam area. But not nearly the hike as other areas I mentioned...
Tackle Tom bait shop in town is also a good place for info:
1 (208) 382-4367
There's now a place in Cascade that rents sleds I just found out about: Intermountain Powersport Rental 1 (208) 382-4388
Here's a link to Idaho highways and route 55 a camera north of Cascade. Camera shows north and south views so wait for it to change view. Including can get weather info hope link works:
http://lb.511.idaho.gov/idlb/cameras/cam...Only=false
Us along with several others are headed up in Jan mama nature permitting 13-17 Jan. Also reservations made for Feb...OBTW Cascade got 10" of snow overnight more on the way... :/
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Thanks for the great info I will just have to get some of this to a few of my friends and see if they are up for it.
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Let's go Mike! I was gonna ask you about this the other day while you were at the credit union :-)
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I'll gladly throw in on gas or drive and bring whatever gear we need if you need a tag a long Chad. That sounds like a fun trip.
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