# What are the best ice fishing destinations for perch in michigan



## GFHFG (Dec 31, 2007)

Want to go on a trip and catch the big jumbo perch everyone talks about. I have never caught a perch through the ice so I am looking forward to it Thanks for the help


----------



## vantolr (Dec 19, 2007)

Plus 1...I'd love to know where to catch plentiful, jumbo perch in Michigan. 20 years ago, I'd simply walk out my back door on the Saginaw Bay, drop a line thru the ice on any given night and limit out. Me and my dad used to hammer the jumbos every night when he got home from work......no so these days.....

It's been 20-25 years since I've been able to hammer the slab perch in the Bay.....where else in Michigan can you hammer the jumbos on a regular basis these days????????????


----------



## C20chris (Dec 4, 2007)

"Want to go on a trip and catch the big jumbo perch" 

me too me too


----------



## Robert Hoover (May 8, 2005)

I beleive youre michigan destination for jubos would led you to the bridge to canada and end in simcoe of mitchells bay!Sorry that wasnt nice.they just dont seem to be consistant on the us side anymore of lsc.


----------



## itchn2fish (Dec 15, 2005)

Lake Independance in N Marquette Cty near Big Bay is where the state record perch was taken and is a beautiful destination.


----------



## franky (Apr 14, 2004)

There was an article in the Woods-N-Waters magazine probably a year or so ago that had the top 10 panfishing lakes in Michigan but I don't remember a single one of them.


----------



## RyGuy525 (Mar 17, 2005)

Mitchels bay on the ontario side of lake st. clair.


----------



## Banditto (Jun 9, 2000)

Simcoe is my vote also.


----------



## Downsea (Apr 12, 2005)

itchn2fish said:


> Lake Independance in N Marquette Cty near Big Bay is where the state record perch was taken and is a beautiful destination.


I can second that! And Lake Gogebic has some BIG perch! You said "road trip"!


----------



## Darkness Z32 (Nov 30, 2007)

a buddy of mine pulled a 16" jumbo out of Lake Independance a few years back... its supposed to be a good one... check it out


----------



## vantolr (Dec 19, 2007)

Darkness Z32 said:


> a buddy of mine pulled a 16" jumbo out of Lake Independance a few years back... its supposed to be a good one... check it out


Does it fish consistently? I love that area....pretty place. I've also fished it in the summertime. Struggled to catch much.....got about 10 keeper perch after a full day. 

On the other hand, I've fished Simcoe and Lake Couchaching near Orillia (spelling ?). Holly cow! Caught limits 8 out of 8 times over the years......can't miss if you simply move and find them. 

If only I could find that around Saginaw Bay, again. Back in the day, used to go out with my dad and/or grandfather on any place in the Bay and catch 'em every time. Hard to even find the dinks these days......see 1 jumbo and you're lucky!


----------



## sfw1960 (Apr 7, 2002)

franky said:


> There was an article in the Woods-N-Waters magazine probably a year or so ago that had the top 10 panfishing lakes in Michigan but I don't remember a single one of them.


:lol: :lol: :lol:
Guide for hire!!!
LOL!
Any ONE of the west side drowned river mouth lakes CAN give up some big perch in the winter , BUT consistently??

With the fish being a cyclic population and the intense pressure on the species....
A big lake in the boonies (like the UP) is indeed a good idea.
I can't see too many PUBLICLY posting out their honey holes on the internet!
:evilsmile


----------



## jdawg240 (Oct 1, 2007)

When you find it let me know, I'll go to. We got into the true jumbos one time when I was kid on the bay. We caught 25 or so over 12 inches in two hours. Never again has it happened to me. That was 1980 something.


----------



## dobes (Feb 16, 2007)

If we could erie to freeze that would be one of your best bets on gettin jumbos .


----------



## C20chris (Dec 4, 2007)

"If we could erie to freeze that would be one of your best bets on gettin jumbos"


the aquarium in Cabelas.....

I have wanted to fish there since it opened....


----------



## aslongasitpullsback (Dec 30, 2005)

we use to get a lot out of Sturgen Bay, Lake Michigan
Good Arbor Bay too, but that was open water fishing in january
that all took place back in the early 90's


----------



## chuckinduck (May 28, 2003)

The Les Chesnaux Islands, and Drummond Island.


----------



## DeerManager (Oct 4, 2006)

I have a small lake in the NW corner of the LP that i limit on perch every time i fish it, alst time within about a hour and a half! Thats about all the info i can give you!


----------



## jlcrss (May 17, 2006)

chuckinduck said:


> The Les Chesnaux Islands, and Drummond Island.


I would agree with you for the most part but the comorants have done some damage.


----------



## chuckinduck (May 28, 2003)

jlcrss said:


> I would agree with you for the most part but the comorants have done some damage.


Yes, but its making a strong comeback.


----------



## MDH (Aug 1, 2006)

It used to be great back in the 70's and 80's (that's when I remember it best). We have a cabin in cedarville and the last couple of years have been a lot better for perch. Caught a 13 incher 2 september's ago and a few more 12's in about 45 minutes of fishing. Heading up there this winter sometime, so we'll see how it is this winter. Love it up there either way!

MDH


----------



## bias (Aug 29, 2004)

I think Drummond Island has got the best perch fishing in the state right now, and ironically, it is largely becasue of the cormorants.

For the past couple of falls, those willing to hit the late October waters have been rewarded with some tremendous perch--both in size and numbers. This past spring was unlike any fishing I, or anyone else under 70, can recall. I had a friend stop by on his way to fish one Sunday morning just after ice out. He stopped back by a few hours later with a 5 gallon pail full of perch, the SMALLEST of which might have been 10 inches. Maybe not even that small. My luck hasn't been quite that good, but I've had the best perch fishing this spring that I can remember.

The local fish biologists have studied this in conjunction with out cormorant control efforts and have determined that we have very young, but exceptionally large perch. They attribute this to the decimation of the spawning perch the preceedings four or five springs, and almost all the large perch that we're catching now are from the same relatively young year class. We have limited the cormorant predation while they spawn, and without the competition of the older year-classes of fish, they now have almost limitless food available to help them grow.

We all know this fabulous perch fishing won't last for ever--things will fall back into balance again in a few years. But it sure is fun while it lasts.


----------



## browning13 (Apr 12, 2007)

I'll give another vote for lake independence, theres some nice walleye there too


----------



## da fish hunter (Jul 23, 2006)

I always for early ice found then on a depression in canals rite in the morn on lake st.clair.... but that deff not a all year think some times more like day to day


----------



## chuckinduck (May 28, 2003)

bias said:


> I think Drummond Island has got the best perch fishing in the state right now, and ironically, it is largely becasue of the cormorants.
> 
> For the past couple of falls, those willing to hit the late October waters have been rewarded with some tremendous perch--both in size and numbers. This past spring was unlike any fishing I, or anyone else under 70, can recall. I had a friend stop by on his way to fish one Sunday morning just after ice out. He stopped back by a few hours later with a 5 gallon pail full of perch, the SMALLEST of which might have been 10 inches. Maybe not even that small. My luck hasn't been quite that good, but I've had the best perch fishing this spring that I can remember.
> 
> ...


I think oiling the eggs has certainly helped reduce the numbers of those flying rats. I haven't seen nearly the number of birds as there were 5 years ago. There still around, but not by the hundreds you used to see. I missed the good bite last spring by about four days, but the year prior we smacked them good for 3 days straight, and if the fish wasn't 9", we threw them back, and there wasn't much sorting. We'd have 4 man limits in an hour and a half easy.


----------



## Slick fishing (Sep 25, 2002)

The best place to catch jumbo's perch would be out of Gone fishing's freezer:lol: thats were I would go:lol:.. Canadian side of lake saint Clair is the ticket this time of year.. Cya Slick


----------

