05-01-2012, 02:29 PM
[cool][#0000ff]Yep. Perch make good bait for Utah Lake kitties. You can use the small ones whole and cut larger ones into chunks or strips.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Perch have become more abundant in Utah Lake in the past few years...just like bluegills and crappies. Those panfish always do better during high water years when there is plenty of vegetation around the shoreline for them to spawn and for the young to excape all the hungry mouths.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Recent studies have shown that perch are becoming a more common food item for walleyes too. So by using perch...or white bass meat...you increase your chances of picking up a toothy critter along with the whiskery fishes.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]As far as which cut bait is "BEST", that is a personal opinion thing. But there are some days when one definitely seems to work better than the others. I try to always have at least some carp meat and some white bass meat, along with minnows and worms. I rotate baits and rigs until I see if there is a preference. But even on days when one or the other seems to be working better I often catch my biggest fish on something different. That's fishing.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Final note: If you use a whole dead perch, you might try scaling it first and then cutting a few small slices in the skin to help release more scent. You gotta scale them while they are still wet and fresh. Once that skin dries out with the scales on they become like a piece of wood. I think the fish prefer them when they are softer and more flavorful.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]If you fish lakes like Pineview or Starvation where there are hordes of small perch you should keep a bunch of them (limit 50) and freeze some up in bags of a half dozen or so. Then take those with you on your kitty trips. You will do the perch lakes a favor by reducing the population and get some good bait in the bargain.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[signature]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Perch have become more abundant in Utah Lake in the past few years...just like bluegills and crappies. Those panfish always do better during high water years when there is plenty of vegetation around the shoreline for them to spawn and for the young to excape all the hungry mouths.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Recent studies have shown that perch are becoming a more common food item for walleyes too. So by using perch...or white bass meat...you increase your chances of picking up a toothy critter along with the whiskery fishes.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]As far as which cut bait is "BEST", that is a personal opinion thing. But there are some days when one definitely seems to work better than the others. I try to always have at least some carp meat and some white bass meat, along with minnows and worms. I rotate baits and rigs until I see if there is a preference. But even on days when one or the other seems to be working better I often catch my biggest fish on something different. That's fishing.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Final note: If you use a whole dead perch, you might try scaling it first and then cutting a few small slices in the skin to help release more scent. You gotta scale them while they are still wet and fresh. Once that skin dries out with the scales on they become like a piece of wood. I think the fish prefer them when they are softer and more flavorful.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]If you fish lakes like Pineview or Starvation where there are hordes of small perch you should keep a bunch of them (limit 50) and freeze some up in bags of a half dozen or so. Then take those with you on your kitty trips. You will do the perch lakes a favor by reducing the population and get some good bait in the bargain.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[signature]