North Marina Early Perch Search 10-23-24

[TubeDude]

Had no unrealistic expectations of loading up on perch.  But figured that maybe the cooler water temps might bring in a few.  That’s all it takes to get me on the water.  Launched at the north marina a bit before 7:30.  Still darkish.  Getting lighter later.  But Daylight Savings Time will end pretty soon.  Air temp a balmy 45…warming a bit over 20 degrees by noon departure.  Water temp 56…creeping up to 57 by mid day.  The funky weather forecast for the next few days should help drop the water temps a few more degrees.

 
First plan was to scope out the inside of the marina and try for some action there.  But the slow reports and my better judgment sent me out the marina early…with plans to return if I had no action outside.  Found nothing worthwhile on “TV” and even less on my line for the first half hour.  Worked several spots that usually hold perch…when they are in.  Saw a few promising anomalies on the screen but got no love on anything I presented.
 
Right at 8 am my blue-silver flig rod went bendo.  As expected, it was a “whiskery perch” and not the golden kind with dark vertical bars.  Surprisingly good tugs in the cooling water.  Within a few minutes I caught a second one…this one on the “pistachio” color flig and minnow setup.  I managed to find two more cats but no perch over the next hour.  By the way, first fish came from 14.5 feet.  Others from 15 to 17 feet.  Scattered.
 

I had already killed the skunk and had some good tugs…and I had my allotted 2 take-home kitties in my basket.  So I figured that even if the marina did not reward me further I had already had some enjoys.  To the marina.
 
Motored around looking for likely spots to drag some fligs or dunk some vertical jigs.  Saw a few small balls of shad and a few larger marks that could have been almost anything.  But since none of them accepted my offerings I din’t prove or disprove nuttin’. 

 
When I got to the back corner of the marina…the SW corner where they have the fun stuff in the summer…I started to get some inquiries on my minnow sweetened fligs.  Some were “perch pecks”…or maybe small cats.  Anyhooters, they rattled the rod tip without getting stuck.  Then my rods began going bendo and line started pulling off the drag as the kitties got busy with me.  Over the next hour and a half I brought 7 more cats to net…with one 23” and one 24”.  All fought pretty well.  And all were released to play another day. Water depth in the marina was mostly on either side of 11'.  And I got bites and hooked fish in almost all areas I fished.  Seems to be a few kitties in that part of the lake.
 

Last week the best color was pink tiger…with a couple on blue silver.  This week I only got one on pink tiger but got several on the pistachio color with which I replaced the pink...and which got no love last week.  That's fishing.  Only got a couple on blue silver this week.
 
Although I didn’t put any perch in the basket, I would bet good money that some of the shapes I saw on sonar were perch.  And I had a few bites that were pretty perchlike.  Oh yeah, I did have one perch on until I tried to lift it into my tube.  Then it forgot how to hold on.  I would have been maybe 10 inches.  Better perchin’ is still ahead.