Rockport 1/25 AM

[MWScott72]

Headed over to Rockport yesterday morning to try and figure out where the perch are hanging.  Lots of looking but not much in the way of finding.  Started out about 8:15 on the west side in ~30-40' and had a couple bites and one perch that made it to the hole but then came off when it got tangled with my 2nd line.  Headed over the the SP boat launch and headed south from there about a 1/4 mile in 30-40' near the river channel and not a whiff.  Picked up and fished about 30-40' due west of the docks and one little nibble was all.  Used glow jigs and Halies tipped with worm, waxies, and spikes.  Fished until 11:45 and then had to pick up and get back to reality..

Amazing how low the reservoir is.  Had to do some fine tuning with Navionics to match up their data with my finder.  Oh, as an aside, I didn't mark any fish in the water column in any of the three locations.  I get that with perch, but thought some trout might move through.  Not to be, but I have some ideas for the next trip

[TubeDude]

Don't know if the fall pattern might hold up under the ice, but several of us found good numbers of perch out off the rocks in the NE corner of the lake...towards the dam.  That was in open water but I'm guessing that whatever attracted the perch there before the ice might hold up after capping.  Hmmmm? 

Strange you didn't find anything along the west side.  That is usually money.  But with the extreme low water conditions nothing seems to be the same anywhere this year.

[wiperhunter2]

Well that's too bad, sounds really hit and miss this year at Rockport, hopefully things will improve. Thanks for sharing your report.

[MWScott72]

Don't know if the fall pattern might hold up under the ice, but several of us found good numbers of perch out off the rocks in the NE corner of the lake...towards the dam.  That was in open water but I'm guessing that whatever attracted the perch there before the ice might hold up after capping.  Hmmmm? 

Strange you didn't find anything along the west side.  That is usually money.  But with the extreme low water conditions nothing seems to be the same anywhere this year.

There's a "hump" in the middle of the reservoir that is about 40-45' right now and it's surrounded by flats for a ways.  Was going to try that next time and then head over to the dam and try in the riprap off the dam, so your comment about "perch out off the rocks in the NE..." may prove prophetic.  We shall see!

I never did try anything in the 50' range, maybe they're deeper?  I'm not a perch officiando other than they come in shallower to spawn...and that if they're around they'll usually (but not always) bite...

[meancuznalfy]

They were in about 35' on Saturday during the tournament, I just couldn't get them to hit anything.

[JeepNut]

My son and I were there last Friday on the west side in 37 feet of water and really got into them. The biggest was a 12.5" chubby one. I'll have to ask my son for the picture.

[MWScott72]

My son and I were there last Friday on the west side in 37 feet of water and really got into them. The biggest was a 12.5" chubby one. I'll have to ask my son for the picture.

Just out of curiosity, what were the best hours for the bite?  I had most of mine early (before 9am).  I was wondering if I needed to be there pre-dawn for the bite, but without being familiar with the lake, that was not an option this time.

[JeepNut]

My son and I were there last Friday on the west side in 37 feet of water and really got into them. The biggest was a 12.5" chubby one. I'll have to ask my son for the picture.

Just out of curiosity, what were the best hours for the bite?  I had most of mine early (before 9am).  I was wondering if I needed to be there pre-dawn for the bite, but without being familiar with the lake, that was not an option this time.

We caught them throughout the day. They seemed to come in schools and when the school was under us we would often get doubles or triples. We had a pole that was stiffer that the rest and we didn't see the bites as well on that pole and would often pull it up and find the bait gone.

[Riffle]

I had some luck on Wednesday in about 30 feet of water just south of Rocky Pt on the west side. Action was pretty consistent between 7:30 and 9:00 am and then just shut off.