Perch fishing heating up in Lake Michigan

Trees are being lit, stockings are being hung, and yellow perch are slowly starting to move into the harbors along Lake Michigan. The most wonderful time of the year is surely upon us!

Every year around Thanksgiving, massive schools of yellow perch push into shallower waters in area harbors in search of food. This annual occurrence gives way to some of the best panfishing that an angler can partake in anywhere. If you are looking for one last opportunity to fill your freezers before ice season, this kind of fishing is for you.

Shore-based perch fishing is, for the most part, a fairly simple process that deviates only slightly from standard panfishing methods. For the best success, you are going to want to use a standard drop shot rig with either one or two hooks affixed above the drop weight. This will allow you to present up to two baits off the bottom and in the strike zone of schooling perch. Minnows, wax worms, spikes and shrimp are all dynamite baits for Lake Michigan perch.

If you prefer to use lures in your perch search, focus on using smaller jigs, spoons and plastics, preferably anything in the ⅛-ounce range or less. When using lures for perch, it is important to vary your action to match their aggression. Perch can respond positively to a bait being worked vigorously as easily as a bait that is left lying motionless, so do both and find the hot pattern and repeat as necessary.

While the methodology and processes of catching late-season perch are essentially set in stone, the logistics of finding good perch waters are a little bit muddy. The main driver of this difficulty is the popularity that this bite has with anglers across the region. Even when you find a suitable spot, you will still have to negotiate crowds in order to fish.

At this point, it is fair to say that the hallowed grounds of the winter perch game are the waters on the north side of Navy Pier in Chicago. Massive schools of perch draw many anglers to the city landmark each year, and anglers can take advantage of discounted early morning parking to get in on the action. More information on parking at Navy Pier can be found at navypier.org.

Beyond Navy Pier, perch can be found at nearly every city harbor from Belmont down to Jackson. Parking situations vary from harbor to harbor, so be sure to look up specific regulations for each before heading out to them. Outside of the city, two spots that are popular and open to the public include the Government Pier in Waukegan and North Point Marina State Recreation Area in Winthrop Harbor.