Reports

I always post reports – both good and bad. This one falls in the latter category! I’m not a big perch expert – so take this report as a hint of what not to do. I fished Lodi and South Kashong Points pretty hard today using 4lb. test, double dropper rigs and fathead minnows. (This same rig/set-up caught me a limit of nice perch last year in a little over 2 hours but it was not to be today – far from it.)I worked each area for over 2 hours. In hindsight this was too long. I did a bit of anchoring – basically worked an area for around 15 minutes then moved further down the flat. I think I might have been able to cover more water working one rod instead of two. Maybe drifting would have been the key, but that can be tough in deep water, plus Seneca’s flats in the central portion of the lake aren’t incredibly massive for the most part, so anchoring usually works good. The other advantage of anchoring is that when fish are encountered there’s no need to move. When drifting a marker is usually set out, then you must motor back to the area and set up – this can spook a school of fish if not done very quietly.

Next time I’ll be hitting more general areas within a closer radius. Most winter anglers that I see perch fish from Severne point up to around Long Point and then down somewhat from Severne. This enables them to cover 6 or 7 areas within a short run. My guess is that if hungry perch are around they’ll make their presence known. The other key is to systematically rule certain depth zones in or out. Nothing like a tough day to get the brain working in overdrive.