Fri, Jun 9th, 2023 - 8:53am
February 01, 2021 - 9:30am | By James McCarty
The Flag Outdoors Expert Steve Carney has your weekly Outdoors Angle right here!
As we slide into the month of February, we head into the best month of the winter season for chasing jumbo perch. There is no doubt the two top producers of big perch are Devil's Lake and Big Stone Lake near Ortonville, Minnesota.
Most lakes in Minnesota are filled with tiny perch and there is very little opportunity for anything of any size. Grouped into these top producers are lakes such as Winnibigoshish, Leech and the Missouri River which at times can put out decent fish. I prefer to stick with the two best and they almost always produce.
One of my secrets for taking big perch is up-sizing my baits using walleye-sized spoons with a large fathead minnow head impaled on the treble. This eliminates the small perch and only the jumbo's will hit these large baits. Medium sized minnow stick baits also work well with a minnow head placed on the lower treble hook. You can always expect a few accidental walleyes which is always good along with some giant bluegills. Messing with wax worms and euro larvae to this angler is a mistake and time consuming dealing with smaller fish. Go big and catch big!
Keep in mind many of the best perch lakes are fairly shallow meaning any unusual human noise can affect the bite. These perch tend to roam freely and avoid any areas with vehicle or human traffic. Most of the best perch depths are between 8 and 12 feet of water meaning they can be spooked easily.
Winter angling is not over yet, we are getting to the fantastic month of February which means perch time!
Steve Carney is The Flag WZFG Outdoors expert. He can be heard every Thursday morning at 8:05 on AM 1100 WZFG. Check out his weekly podcast on am1100theflag.com and hear his Outdoors Angle reports every Friday on AM 1100 WZFG. You can also visit stevecarneyoutdoors.com for more information.
