Perch through the ice.

[Idaholewis]

Hey Lewis, does that fold into a sled with a bench or seats on it?

No not this one, But i have one of them as well It’s a Frabill “Flip Over”

 

[Idaholewis]

Any time spent ice fishing is awesome, (if you dont go in the water)

I have been out on the Ice when it was VERY “IFFY” It was Great in the Morning while it was Freezing, But by evening when i was Collecting my Tip Ups you couldn’t have Drove a Needle in my Butt Cheeks with a Sledge Hammer Each Step was like being on a Giant Cloud, Water would Pop Up through my Holes. I was glad to get off the Ice on those Days!

 

[MrTom]

Hey Lewis, does that fold into a sled with a bench or seats on it?

This is a hub style shelter. You use folding chairs. The hubs I have seen usually get on the ice on a sled or in a vehicle. Hubs have been improved upon over the last five or six years and today they are great shelters with a ton of room. Lewis could fish 4 or more in his if he liked company.

I stopped ice fishing about 15 years ago after slipping and suffering a partial tear of the Achilles tendon sheath. I also have copd which makes breathing the cold air intolerable. I sold my tub [fold out] shelter and everything ice fishing. This year we've had such wonderful weather up until just recently that I wandered out on the ice with a buddy and we've done very well. It was a balmy -17 degrees this morning and a wonderful -7 yet at almost noon so all I do now is read about ice fishing again.

I still make ice baits for a lot of people. These are an inch long and its absolutely impossible to hold one of these by the head end and keep the tail from shaking. Impossible. The baits on the right are obvious color-wise while those on the left are glow purple [top baits] and glow red [bottom three].

 

[CatamountRob]

This morning was slow but okay.

 

[CatamountRob]

This is a hub style shelter. You use folding chairs. The hubs I have seen usually get on the ice on a sled or in a vehicle. Hubs have been improved upon over the last five or six years and today they are great shelters with a ton of room. Lewis could fish 4 or more in his if he liked company.

I stopped ice fishing about 15 years ago after slipping and suffering a partial tear of the Achilles tendon sheath. I also have copd which makes breathing the cold air intolerable. I sold my tub [fold out] shelter and everything ice fishing. This year we've had such wonderful weather up until just recently that I wandered out on the ice with a buddy and we've done very well. It was a balmy -17 degrees this morning and a wonderful -7 yet at almost noon so all I do now is read about ice fishing again.

I still make ice baits for a lot of people. These are an inch long and its absolutely impossible to hold one of these by the head end and keep the tail from shaking. Impossible. The baits on the right are obvious color-wise while those on the left are glow purple [top baits] and glow red [bottom three].

I have a bunch of those but I’m just more confident using bait, usually a wax worm. I’m going to have to force myself to improve my plastic game.

 

[Steelheader323]

We got a ton of snow the last few days. Been targeting pike the last week or so and caught a bunch of shorts but did manage a few fish that kept us busy. I need to get back into the panfish game tho as I am running low on fillets hers a couple that we got. Nothing to brag about but they were fun.


Even got the girlfriend out to try her hand at tip up fishing..she would rather be in the warm shanty fishing for smelt tho. She’s pretty hooked on that!

Last photo is a redearedsunfish I got from a lake a few miles down the road..always heard of big ones in their from a dnr stock years ago but never got one til last week. Just shy of 12” and had shoulders for days

 

[fishhawk2700]

i've always wanted to do that!! Perch taste as good as walleye i assume??

I live in south eastern Michigan about 3 miles from Lake Erie. I was a charter captain for 10 years, so you can imagine the perch and walleye that came over the back of the boat. I have eaten most fish that are commercially available here in the states and I wouldn't trade one filet of perch or walleye for any of the rest of it. I would have to rate perch just slightly ahead of walleye due to the fact that we scale rather than skin them. I think this adds flavor. Now I'm not saying other fish are bad, it's just my personnel preference.

 

[ronlaughlin]

i've always wanted to do that!! Perch taste as good as walleye i assume??

There are those what believe perch is better (tastier) than walleye. Could be they taste better. Could be the the meat is firmer; fillet stays intact better whilst cooking; better texture. One of the things discussed forever, like how antelope is better tasting than elk, and.................

 

[TiggerLueb]

I bought this Tent, Eskimo FatFish 949i, Insulated version

And this Milwaukee M18 Fuel Drill, with 8” Eskimo Pistol Bit Auger

I almost bought a Eskimo Auger last week and I wish I would have now.

 

[CatamountRob]

I fished some yesterday and today, fishing shallow water with an underwater camera for panfish. Caught a few crappie and perch as well as a couple bass. I probably caught 200 bluegills over the 2 days and kept a half pail of the biggest ones each day. Had a big northern with his nose to my jig for a couple minutes but he wouldn’t take it. I doubt I could have landed him on 2 lb test anyway.

 

[JimA]

I live in south eastern Michigan about 3 miles from Lake Erie. I was a charter captain for 10 years, so you can imagine the perch and walleye that came over the back of the boat. I have eaten most fish that are commercially available here in the states and I wouldn't trade one filet of perch or walleye for any of the rest of it. I would have to rate perch just slightly ahead of walleye due to the fact that we scale rather than skin them. I think this adds flavor. Now I'm not saying other fish are bad, it's just my personnel preference.

I agree! Here's a heaping helping getting ready for the fryer... Yum!

 

[Leigh Clambakes]

Are those perch filets?
Where are the Lake Champlain caviar?

 

[Jbrown69]

I live in south eastern Michigan about 3 miles from Lake Erie. I was a charter captain for 10 years, so you can imagine the perch and walleye that came over the back of the boat. I have eaten most fish that are commercially available here in the states and I wouldn't trade one filet of perch or walleye for any of the rest of it. I would have to rate perch just slightly ahead of walleye due to the fact that we scale rather than skin them. I think this adds flavor. Now I'm not saying other fish are bad, it's just my personnel preference.

My preference as well. I also don't fillet the perch. To me I think they taste better with the backbone in. Not been a good ice season for me so far. Hope it gets better.

 

[MrTom]

I haven't seen an above zero temp during the day or night for almost a week now. -21 this morning at 7 with a -38 windchill. Its making ice here big time. Satellite imagery of Lake Superior at Duluth and moving north now shows significant ice formation since the idiots had to be rescued. At Two Harbors, 26 miles up the coast from Duluth the entire ore harbor is ice choked and the guys have been catching coho and lakers thru the ice in pop-up shelters....a week ago they were casting off the breakwater that creates the harbor. This same hold is going clear to Texas and spreads east so mid continent ice fishing should be dandy in a day or two.

 

[CatamountRob]

Is there a way to scale perch without making a huge mess?

 

[JimA]

Are those perch filets?
Where are the Lake Champlain caviar?

Yes they are!

 

[fishhawk2700]

Is there a way to scale perch without making a huge mess?

Scaling under running water helps but it's still a mess. A power scaler is the best. Around lake Erie there are fish cleaning services. Perch cost 1.25 per pound to clean, walleye are a buck a fish. This works out well for guys that come and charter. Personally, I clean my own walleye but the perch go to the cleaners. Now you have to remember that a limit of perch in Michigan waters is 50. Now put four people on the boat. Cleaning 200 perch is not my idea of a good time.

 

[MrTom]

Crappie and Perch are my favorite eating fish outside of Salmon and Red Fin Lake Trout. The Perch, however, I hate cleaning and I refuse to scale them so its a fillet job. We'll occasionally lay into a nice school of jumbos and I'll keep a handful for myself, but it the others in the party set about catching limits I make it perfectly clear that if YOU catch them, YOU will do the cleaning. I take care of my own and that's never more than six fish. I have no problem at all sitting back and having and enjoying a cold beer while the other guys are fighting scales and gill covers fighting to fillet their 50 fish. A couple people I fish with are no on the same page as I am when it comes to keeping perch for exactly the same reasons I have my own page.

 

[exarcher]

I said my new Gear, meaning Ice Tent, and Power Auger

that makes absolute sense now!! shows we don't ice fish much here in Tennessee... (when you said gear,, i saw rods, lures ect.)

 

[exarcher]

This morning was slow but okay.
View attachment 12911

are those "fat"ones full of eggs?? Sauger eggs taste absolutely awesome,,, do you guys keep them?