Whats your favorite perch setup?

[flyfishingfool]

This past year I have gotten in to perch fishing quite a bit. Having an underwater camera has made it way easier to find them. I am just curious what everyone's favorite ice fishing setup is for them. I like to use a chartreuse Ratso jig when I am in shallow water.
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If I am fishing in deeper water, a Swedish Pimple as a flasher with a ratfinke below is my preferred setup. I've had best luck tipping them with mealies, wax worms, or spikes. I have caught them on a lot of other things but I have always done so well (consistently) with the Ratso that I hardly ever try anything else. Thanks!
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[prvrt]

Worm on a size 12-14 gold egg hook. This is the K.I.S.S. method that works.
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[windriver]

I usually go with the swedish pimple and a rat finkie. A couple of weeks ago I tried the salmo chubby darter in perch color. I split a meal worm in half and put each half on the treble hooks.

The bigger perch definately seemed to prefer the salmo chubby darter to anything else. The smaller ones were intimidated by the bigger jig, but the bigger ones loved it.

Perch are strange. They have moods different from any other fish. Sometimes they will just come hit anything. Other times you have to be dang good to get them to bite an offering. The later in the season it gets the closer to spawning they get and the more difficult it is to tempt them. That is my experience anyway.

Windriver
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[iwantabuggy]

On the days they are being aggressive, I prefer a jigging rap (perch color). Other days, dead stick a horizontal jig head tipped with worm, various colors, until I find the prefered one.
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[cpierce]

Those are some really nice looking perch. You are definitely getting good at it, if that is what you are catching on a regular basis. Makes me hungry looking at them!
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[MMDon]

If the big ones are biting I prefer minnows as bait. If they are smaller I tip a plain bead head jig with some perch meat, one end of a meal worm and a crappie nugget in their choice of colors.
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[fishingrocket]

Windriver,

With respect to the Salmo Chubby Darter, would that be the (1) Gold Yellow Perch Holographic (2) Perch or (3) Hot Perch? I am assuming size #3. Boy, at the prices offerred, a guy would not want to be over anything snaggy.

FR
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[windriver]

I think it is just perch. It is the smallest size they had. I caught a couple more on it yesterday,but they liked small ice flies better.
Windriver
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[CoyoteSpinner]

when you say worm - do you mean waxie, or crawler? And how do you get it down to 'em?

I've done really well drop-shotting in fall, and have a couple rigs tied up to try - a small dropshot, small weight.

I typically go with a small castmaster (silver/gold) as a flasher with a jig or two below. Drop down - reel up 1-2-3. Occasional jiggles, but I find most of my bites when it stops. But a bit of commotion can get their attention - even bouncing the castmaster in the muck - if it's not a weedy bottom.
Done ok with mealies, better with waxies, but nothing like a fresh perch eye ball to get 'em going!

My horizontal presentations - ratfinkie with a glow-gizzy bug - have been well received. Other perchlet patterns - horizontal stripes. Just been having a hard time finding the schools this year at some lakes. Hope to keep trying before the hard-deck's gone!

[StacyR]

I usually fish for perch at night, so my favorite setup is a 1/4 ounce Gitzit Little Tough Guy jig painted to look like a perch and tipped with a piece of perch meat. About 12" up the line, I tie on a lighter jig also tipped with perch meat. Usually a chartreuse crappie tube.

The heavy weight jig really gets it to the bottom fast. I bounce the Gitzit on the bottom. The noise and cloud of silt it kicks up seems to draw them. I think they settle to the bottom at night, since a good 85% of the bites come on the bottom jig.

Edit: Word of warning... You can use dead minnows for tipping jigs, but a live minnow will get you a big fat ticket.
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