(10-17-2020, 03:32 PM)Freakyfisherman Wrote:A couple of possibilities. 1. Crawdads. They will peck at a bait without getting impaled. 2. Young catfish. The lake is usually full of them this time of year...and they are notorious bait nippers.(10-16-2020, 08:57 PM)TubeDude Wrote: Met up with FatBiker this morning at the north marina. Still dark at 7 am launch. Air temp mid 30's and water temp down to 57. Getting there. This was supposed to be a perch search but not quite cool enough for their liking.Pat, I took my son on the backside of Willard on Tuesday the 13th. Pretty much halfway between Harold's crane and the light pole. We were dunking mussels and trying various jigging stuffs and spoons. He kept getting bites as he would slowly drag his mussel in. I have not mastered his technique. He would have fish follow his mussel in towards the shore and could not hook up with these fish, but what he described sounded perch like. I later showed him a picture as he is just learning my fishing ways and he said that was the fish he could not catch. It makes sense cause the mussels are probably too big for the size of fish he was describing. Also, the octopus hooks we were using probably could not fit in their mouths. All of his hits were like 15 yards off the bank into shore, so I don't know the depths. Not being in the tube I have no idea of water temp but I will assume there are probably a bit warmer on the west side because of the amount of sunlight they receive versus the east side.So maybe perch are on the prowl, just not where you were on the lake.
Gabe
When the perch have any size it is surprising how large of a bait they can snarf. I have caught them on big minnows being dragged for wipers, walleyes and cats. But, as you say, your large hook might be just a bit too large for even a chunky perch.
EDIT: In thinking about it, the nibblers could have been bluegills, green sunfish or even small smallmouths. They are all in there and all will rob bait. If your son is not well versed in fishy ID then all are possibilities.
Been doing any good at Starvy?