Where are the perch biting on Lake Michigan?

Michigan City typically has the most consistent summer perch bite and the highest catch rate. The most popular places are near Mt. Baldy and Black Ditch, just to the west of Mt. Baldy in 20-40 feet of water.

Why is there no perch in Lake Michigan?

Lake Michigan perch have suffered from extremely poor recruitment, or survival of young fish, since the early 1990s. Most researchers link the decline of the native fish to drastic changes in the lake’s food web brought on by invasive zebra and quagga mussels in the last several decades.

What is the best perch fishing lakes in Michigan?

Good fishing for perch can be found out of numerous Lake Michigan ports, the Les Cheneaux Islands area of northern Lake Huron, Saginaw Bay, Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie. Inland lakes with notable perch fisheries include Gogebic, Independence, Burt, Hubbard, Crystal, Higgins and Elk.

Where is the best fishing in Michigan right now?

These 7 Waters Are Among the Best Fishing Spots in Michigan

  • LAKE MICHIGAN.
  • PERE MARQUETTE RIVER.
  • MANISTEE RIVER.
  • GRAND RIVER.
  • SAGINAW BAY.
  • LAKE ST.
  • LAKE ERIE.

What month is best for perch fishing?

Perch fishing is usually best in the early morning or evening hours during late spring and early summer and late afternoon or evening in late summer. In autumn, both morning and late afternoon-evening provide excellent fishing. In the natural lakes, the best fishing is usually from late summer until late fall.

What’s the best bait for perch?

Perch fishing with worms tends to produce the best results, but maggots, prawns and lobworms are also amongst the best bait for catching perch. You can also try feeding the perch, spreading some maggots over the area you intend to fish.

How much does a 12 inch perch weigh?

1 lb. 10 oz.
Panfish

Length Bluegill Yellow Perch
Weight Weight
11.5″ 1 lb. 7 oz. 11 oz.
12″ 1 lb. 10 oz. 12 oz.
12.5″ 1 lb. 14 oz. 14 oz.

Where is the best crappie fishing in Michigan?

Not so crappy spots: Some of the best crappie waters in Michigan include the Up North destinations of Houghton, Douglas, Mitchell, and Cadillac lakes. Hot spots along our western shore are many of the drowned river mouth lakes including Muskegon, Pentwater, and Ludington and the bayou areas of the Grand River system.

What is the best time of the day for fishing?

Fish generally prefer early morning and evening sun to the bright midday rays. In midday, the surface temperature of the water is also hotter, forcing the fish to move deeper.

What is the best bait for perch?

Perch fishing with worms tends to produce the best results, but maggots, prawns and lobworms are also amongst the best bait for catching perch. You can also try feeding the perch, spreading some maggots over the area you intend to fish. But don’t go overboard as perch are small and can fill themselves up quickly.

What depth do perch feed at?

Small perch can usually be caught in fairly shallow water year-round, but large adults head toward deeper water as spring turns to summer. By June, rocky areas in 8 to 12 feet of water are prime targets.

How deep do you fish for perch?

Small perch can usually be caught in fairly shallow water year-round, but large adults head toward deeper water as spring turns to summer. By June, rocky areas in 8 to 12 feet of water are prime targets. By August, you can expect to catch perch as deep as 25 to 35 feet.

How old is a 2lb perch?

Within 4-years, such fish can reach 2lb in weight. Perch are able to swallow prey up to 60% of the width of their mouth, even attempting to take prey larger than they may swallow.

How old is a 15 inch perch?

There were some perch that were 15 inches that were 5-7 years old and then there were some that were that size that were 12 years old. My guess would be that the 12 inchers that you were catching were 3-4 years old with a good food source and maybe 5 years old with a poor food source.

Where are big crappies in Michigan?

What bait is good for crappie?

minnows

Jigs and minnows are often the best baits when fishing for crappie. Because of the diverse diets of crappie, they can be caught in many different ways, making them an excellent species for almost any angler to experience using their favorite technique.

Why do people wake up early to fish?

Fish activity in the morning also increases because of the food chain effect. What is this? Much like fish, insects also become more active in the early morning hours, and so food for large non-predators, as well as small fish, is plentiful. And if the small fish are active, so will the predators.

What is best bait for fishing?

Some of the best freshwater fishing bait include worms, leeches, minnows, crayfish, crickets and grasshoppers. Select good saltwater baits including sea worms, eels, crabs, shrimp, strips of squid, and cut-up pieces of fish. You can purchase live bait, or better yet, find your own to save money.

What bait is best for perch?

What is the best bait to use for perch?

What is the biggest perch ever caught?

That’s because, in 2014, a 12-year-old girl from Eagle caught a 15.5-inch, 2-pound, 11.68-ounce whopper – giving her the world record for the largest perch ever caught on a tip-up.

How much does a 16 inch perch weigh?

2 lb. 0 oz.
Panfish

Length Yellow Perch
Weight
15.5″ 1 lb. 13 oz.
16″ 2 lb. 0 oz.
16.5″ 2 lb. 3 oz.

How big is a good size perch?

Re: What size perch you keep
I find that 9-11 are the best keepers. 12+ the rib cage gets a lot more rugged and they’re hard to clean, and you don’t get that much more meat from a 13 than from an 11. Big ones are great for a picture, but 9-11 is ideal for eating.

What is the best month to catch crappie?

The best time of year to catch crappie is during the spawning season which takes place from February-May. During the spawn, both male and female crappie move from deep locations into shallow and concentrated spawning areas. This makes them very easy to target, as they are actively feeding and defending their nests.

How deep do you fish for crappie?

Crappie like to spawn in areas of shallow water, usually around 2-to-4 feet deep, with cover such as brush, flooded timber or weeds, and with easy access to deeper water. In areas with murky water and thick cover, I have sometimes found them nearly on the bank.