Whiskery Perch From Willard...with video (10-5-22)

[TubeDude]

LINK TO VIDEO

Heard tell of some perch showing up for their annual  shadlet mop-up at Willard.  Launched about 7ish at the north marina.  Lovely morning.  No wind, air temp 48…warming to 67 by noon departure.  Water temp 62 at launch and warming to almost 66 by noon.  Water depth in the channel still 4-5 feet…with enough depth at the end of the dock to get passengers on and off boats.

 
Water remains murky.  Not good for sight feeders like perch.  But started with my usual fligs and minnows…dragged slowly through the plentiful fish marks outside the marina.  There were the expected clouds of shad…but also a lot of “OG’s”…other guys.
 

In over two hours of concentrated perchin’…with all the stuff that usually works this time of year…only had a few tentative ticks.  No commitments.  Did see a couple of perch caught by the guys in a boat that were anchored and vertical jigging.
 
Moved slowly down to another area I have caught perch…still working the 7-8 feet of water where most of the perchy looking marks showed on sonar.  By 9 am I was beginning to get a whiff of striped kitty.  Decided to try some deeper water.  Started fishing in 9-10 feet and still saw lots of fishy marks.  Then the kitties of Willard Bay came to my rescue…again. 
 
I was still fishing the small mini whirly fligs…with some whole small minnows I was able to score last week…not the larger whirlies I usually fish for cats and other bigger species.  But since the cats were likely patterning on the same small dying shadlets as the perch they snarfed them up with gusto.  All the cats took either a white glitter with yellow eye mini whirly…or one with silver and blue glitter.  Tried some other colors for perch but the cats seemed to prefer these more shadlike colors.
   

Ended up with my new standard of a dozen or so kitties.  Even got a couple of doubles.  Most were in the 20 to 22 inch range.  One was my smallest in a long time…only about 16 inches.  But the video of that one was not recorded…as with several other of my earlier fish.  But finally got the camera adjusted right and got the last half of the session.  Got a couple of cats around 23” and the biggest that stretched all the way across my 24 inch wide apron ruler.  Only kept a couple for the cleaning station...which is still open by the way.
   

The current low water conditions are the worst I have ever had to fish for the perch.  They are adapting depthwise…although they prefer deeper water they are going where the groceries (shad) are.  And the shad have no other options either.  As previously discussed, the low water has exposed mud bottom all around the lake.  So whenever there are waves from wind (or power squadron) the mud is washed into the lake and it gets murky.  And it stays murky.  Usually much cleaner this time of year.
 
That means that fishing for perch is going to have to be low and slow.  Perch are definitely more sight feeders than their larger cousins the walleyes.  So you gotta fish with something they can find in poor visibility…and fish it slow enough for them to see it and bite it. 

Right now the perch can make a living on the plentiful dying shadlets.  These things litter the shoreline and are all over the lake.  Lots of birds feeding on them too…but only casually.  They are probably staying pretty full too.  I did see a few splashy swirls yesterday, of larger fish finishing off shadlets fluttering on the surface with their dying motions.  Couldn’t identify the splashing species.
 
Gonna make up some new stuff to hit the perch with on my next visits to Willard.  I welcome the challenge but really wish for better conditions.  Although I couldn't ask for nicer weather than I had this trip.

[doitall5000]

Great show pat. I think I need to get up there, my fishing poles are crying for Action. Fishing this year hasn't meant very much catching.
Those cats can change that, and my grandkids need some fun, off the electronics. Do you think the after school, afternoon would be good for those cats??
Thanks for sharing, lots of fishy people have quit sharing.

[TubeDude]

Great show pat. I think I need to get up there, my fishing poles are crying for Action.  Fishing this year hasn't meant very much catching.
Those cats can change that, and my grandkids  need some fun, off the electronics.  Do you think the after school, afternoon would be good for those cats?? 
Thanks for sharing,  lots of fishy people have quit sharing.

Early and late in the year...when mornings are cool and afternoons are warmer...fishing for temperature sensitive fish like cats can often be better later in the day.  Whenever the water warms even a few degrees it seems to get the cats more active.  Good luck.  Hope the everlovin' kitties give you plenty of love.  And tugs from any species are better than staying home and playing with "electronics".

[Redrebel]

Great video, Looks like you were pretty successful with the kittys. I might need to get some of those whirly fligs.

[TubeDude]

Great video, Looks like you were pretty successful with the kittys. I might need to get some of those whirly fligs.

Lots of other species like them too.  I have caught perch, walleye, white bass, trout, crappies, bluegills, bullheads and other species on them.  Lots of options with different sizes and colors...and using different baits with different rigs.

[wiperhunter2]

Great report and video Pat, from the back ground of two of your pics, you fished the same area Ira and I fished yesterday. Not sure what your depth was reading as you were going out but right at the mouth of the channel it got as shallow as 2.9 ft and as we got farther out but still in the center of the channel, we found a spot as shallow as 2 ft. We were really surprised that Wake boat did not hit it's prop because I don't think they can trim up their props. How many boats were out there on Weds?

[TubeDude]

Great report and video Pat, from the back ground of two of your pics, you fished the same area Ira and I fished yesterday. Not sure what your depth was reading as you were going out but right at the mouth of the channel it got as shallow as 2.9 ft and as we got farther out but still in the center of the channel, we found a spot as shallow as 2 ft. We were really surprised that Wake boat did not hit it's prop because I don't think they can trim up their props. How many boats were out there on Weds?

Yes, there is a shallow hump at the mouth of the channel...if you are just a smidge off the main channel.  But I never read less than about 4' going out.  Howsomever, my transducer rides just below the bottom of my tube and I have a shallow draft.  Boats might show as much as a foot or more less than my tube does...depending on where and how the transducer is mounted. 

Only two boats out when I was there.  You know who was in one of them.  The other boat had a couple of guys who appeared to be soaking bait for catfish.  And they moved around a bit...eventually fading away in the distance going toward the west dike.  Never got to check with them to see how well they did.