Perch

anmtcalf · Jan 24, 2005

I am looking for a good spot to catch some perch. I am in the ne part of the state but am willing to drive. wawasee is only like 50 min away, but i have never fished it. I am open to all lake but would like to catch some that have a little size to them. thank you in advance

goggleye57 · Jan 24, 2005

Where do you live? Maybe there is somewhere closer.

anmtcalf · Jan 24, 2005

a little south of Auburn. and again i am willing to drive if i have to get a mess of perch:tongue:

quackwacker1 · Jan 24, 2005

I've got some from bixler.weren't jumbos but 8-9"ers.What do you have in mind goggleye?:biggrin:

goggleye57 · Jan 25, 2005

Thats what I had in mind! Not a lot of big ones but you usually can catch some. Bixler is on the East side of Kendallville. There is plenty of parking, its completely in the city park. There is a closed down hospital on the Hill on the South west side of the Lake. Go straight East across the lake. There is a ditch comes in the lake. out in front of the ditch in about 15 to 18 feet of Water would be a good place to start. There are some good perch in Big Turkey up by Stroh but harder to find. Big Long too but the same story. Anyone else know a good spot?

Lulu Patches · Jan 25, 2005

"Clear" Perch

Clear Lake up in the Tri-State corner is my favorite spot. Shortly they'll be moving into sandy shallows east of the island and in the flats on the eastern shore out from Little Round Lake. Early morning is usually best with waxies, wigglers, or spikes & once in a while minnows. By the island they may be in as shallow as a couple feet. In the flats it could be from 6-10' deep and you can always sight them because the water's so clear. Trouble is finding them and then "quiet" is an absolute must because they spook easy. Also, lift your bait up & down slowly. Jigging generally spooks them, too. If you find them, schools will run past every 20-30 minutes. Jumbos run up to 12-13." Right now, I'm wondering if the ice will be safe enough since I'm one of those that needs 5-6" to feel safe.

goggleye57 · Jan 25, 2005

Lulu- good report!

Another couple of places that come to mind . One is Cree Lake just North of Kendallville on Indiana 3 . You can park at the public access and go straight across the lake then off to the right of where the channels come in from the East side of the Lake. There are usually at least several people fishing out there and I know they catch some nice ones. Right now I'm not sure the ice is safe yet. I haven't seen anyone out there as I drive by to and from work.

A second lake I think of is Fox lake in Steuben County. Since you live South of Auburn go up I-69 and exit at the US 20 exit and go east towards Angola. You will go a little ways East and come to a light. Turn right there. Go a ways and you will see the lake on your left. Follow the road around the Lake and on the East end there is a public access. I don't know where to go I have just heard many reports of big perch. Check with the Warriors Retreat in Angola - they might have more info.

You can check them out - the fun in life is in the process not the end result!

Lulu Patches · Jan 25, 2005

Fox is a spot if???

Goggleye is right about Fox. Trouble is I've tried it a few times & never hit them BUT, the ole story as usual is I've seen them! A couple years ago we tried Fox as a 2nd stop. Walked out from the road a couple 1000 yards to the southeast near the center of that part of the lake. There's a dropoff out there that goes 30-40'. Well, an elderly gentleman was fishing 2 small holes with small bobbers at a depth of 30+ feet. We about dropped our drawers. We had the fish finder&everything while he had a grocery bag overflowing with 12"+ perch. They were huge. Oh well, maybe someday!