Understanding perch locations on lakes

[snakeriver]

I was just wondering if there is a way to target perch effectively on a lake? I have been catching perch this year and enjoying the fillets. However I just set up and move until I find them. For the dedicated perch guys what is your technique for finding the larger perch if any? What kind of structure do you look for, what depths seem to produce those nicer perch. I caught 5, 9-11 inches perch at Ririe monday over by the rocky point towards the cement pillar on the west side in 40 fow. They made some great fillets. I also caught 4 cutts and one Koke over there. I assume the bottom was rocky given the nearby structure. There just didn't seem to be lots of perch, just a few nice ones. I have caught a few 11-12 inch perch at sportsmans park so far but have to weed through lots of 6-7 inchers to get them. I would like to hear some feedback and pick the brain of some of you guys cause I know there is lots of collective experience here and want to learn all I can. You should have seen the looks on my boys faces when they tried the perch fillets at home[] They want more perch to eat!!
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[prvrt]

I look for muddy bottoms and use my camera. The camera has increased my perch catching ability greatly. You can see what is there and how big they are. I have the similar experience at Sportsman's with 11"-12" perch, but hate all the little 6" you have to throw back. At Ririe I do good in about 45-50' of water. The perch seem a little sluggish right now. When watching them on the cam, many of the larger ones seem so fat that they have a problem swimming and just sink to the bottom and sit there for a while. Not sure if this has to do with them being full of eggs, or they are just eating good or a combination of both. I have learned a little bottom pounding will bring them in. Also, the camera they seem quite curious about when you drop it down there.
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[idahopanfish]

What do you use or your bottom pounding?
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[prvrt]

The sinker. Seems that is all it usually takes.
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[windriver]

At Ririe I prefer muddy bottoms. I find them occasionally up in the rocks, but I believe in the spring they are in the weeds eating their own young. In the winter they are cruising the mud flats eating the little bugs that come out. I think that is why bottom pounding can work.

like prvrt said, the camera can help you learn what they are doing. They will get more and more slow as the winter goes on. I believe as they get more heavy with eggs they get less agressive.

Speaking of eggs has anyone caught very many males in Ririe? It seems like I almost always catch females.

There is no doubt they are a moody fish. I think that is what makes them so fun. One minute they seem like a kids fish and the next they baffle the best icefishermen out there.

Windriver
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[prvrt]

I have caught a few males in Ririe. It seems the average is about 95% females, 5% males. I notices Sportsman's park is the same way. Also the males have always been smaller.
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[iwantabuggy]

There is a reason the males are smaller. They change from male to female as they get bigger. All perch start out male and change to female as they get larger.
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[prvrt]

[quote iwantabuggy] All perch start out male and change to female as they get larger.[/quote]

Wow, imagine our life if things happened that way and how different this world would be! [shocked] So many things would be so wrong in so many ways.[crazy]
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[unobass1]

I have been trying to target the perch at ririe over the kokes because I like em on the table. Both times I have been this year I have gone out straight from the rock pile off the boat ramp. Both times it was pretty slow but all but one of the perch I have caught have been good eating size. I think the next time I go I will have try closer to the side opposite of the boat dock and down the shore approx. 1/4 mile. During the summer it seemed like the bottom there was pretty muddy. A couple of the perch I have pulled out had whole nightcrawlers coming out of their mouths so I might try using nightcrawlers instead of meal worms and see how I do. I do think the other side of the res. has a softer bottom though so I guess I'll see how it is.
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[prvrt]

I have used nothing but night crawlers for the perch. I do pretty decent, but a camera does help. I need to do some exploring at Ririe. I seem to end up past the rock pile every time. A few other places I have checked out around the rock pile and dock were either to rocky or to deep. I did see some nice bass in the rocks, but no perch. I may have to just get away from the people and do some exploring when I get my Vex. I know there has to be some good perch areas around there some where. Every time I see the perch on the cam tho, they are on the move. Some times you get a fat lazy perch to drop onto the bottom by the cam and just sit there, but they usually are not to hungry either. Crawdads on the other hand are easier to catch than the perch. I could not keep them things away Saturday for nothing. They actually got quite annoying.
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[kentd71]

Where are you seeing the crawdads? Rocky, mud bottom or both. I am going to make a small trap to put through a hole to get a few.
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[prvrt]

Mud flats. Same as the perch. I brought a few up on the line just so I could drop them down another hole to get them out of my way.
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[windriver]

We pulled out two crawdads on Monday. The kids really got a kick out of that. I think they stay on their lines because they don't set the hook for a long time.

Windriver
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