Search lures prevail as top weapons for triggering fussy perch. Nils USA Hali comes prerigged with a small metal chain that’s durable, rarely tangles, and doesn’t seem to deter strikes. To make your own search lure: Replace the treble from a 1/8- to 1/4-ounce straight lure such as an Acme Kastmaster with a 21⁄2-inch portion of 4-pound mono, then add a 1/32- or 1/64-ounce jig or a #8 to #12 treble hook.
For the dropper line, 6-pound mono like Berkley Trilene XL or fluorocarbon is ideal. Six-pound FireLine serves well as a mainline, allowing better feel in deep water. It might be tempting to try a thin braid for the dropper, but braids are too supple and tend to tangle with the attractor lure.
Dropper-rigging works with other swimming lures, too. Clip off the nose and tail hooks from a #3 or #5 Jigging Rapala and add a dropper consisting of just over an inch of line tipped with a #10 treble hook. Remove the nose and tail hooks to keep the combo from fouling when it’s jigged. I’ve also seen anglers hammer the ends flat on a small 6-inch copper tube, drill holes in the flattened ends, then add split rings and a dropper line. It’s a questionable-looking lure, but it works. HT Enterprises, along with many bait shops near perch waters, sells Hanger Rigs that have a similar design: The angler adds livebait to the hook and the flashing body of the lure attracts perch to move closer to the meat on the hook.
Lively minnows work with dropper-rigging. Slip the hook point barely under the skin parallel to the dorsal fin, so the shank-end of the hook point ends up toward the head of the minnow, and the jighead is away from the body. Lift the combo slowly about 8 inches and let it fall, then hold and let the minnow move in place—to swim forward against the weight of the jighead and the flash of the body.
Swimming lures like the Rapala Jigging Rap or the Nils USA Hali Aatu work well in deep water. The heavier design of most swimming lures allows for getting down quickly, the weight keeping the line taut between rod tip and lure, making strike detection easier. Lures that rattle seem to attract and trigger perch via both sound and feel. Flash lures like the Rattle Snakie, Northland Buckshot Rattle Spoon, and Lindy Rattl’r Spoon all feature enclosed rattle chambers that add to the noise the bait makes. Rattles seem to attract fish in most waters, but excel in murky or dark water.
Finally, spreaders are popular perch rigs on larger fisheries like the Great Lakes, where multiple-hook rigs are legal. Spreaders are designed to fish two hooks simultaneously while also minimizing tangles. They commonly consist of a curved wire ring with loops on each end for securing the lines. To each end of the spreader, attach hooks like Eagle Claw Aberdeen Snells. Tip hooks with minnows or shiners. Spreaders are a little crude-looking and cumbersome to use, but you can’t argue their effectiveness.
Perch are a prolific fish to be enjoyed throughout the seasons. They can be challenging to pinpoint, particularly in the spring when they’re on the move. But the search for perch is part of the deal, though you’ll likely have to keep looking and exploring to track them down. Don’t get anxious when hours pass without a perch—rarely does anyone ever land right on top of the motherlode. When you do find them, the reward is fast action and guaranteed tasty fillets.
