If perch can hear your presentation, all the better. Innovative jigs, like the Northland Buck-Shot Rattle Jig, and spoons like the 1/8-ounce Bass’N Bait Rattle Snakie and Lindy-Little Joe Rattl’r include rattle chambers, but sound production requires active shaking.

Most times, though, more subtle motions call perch to the bait, and they bite well on a bobber line. But vigorously shaking the lure may alert nearby fish, who may approach and then bite the quieter presentation. The commotion may draw them in, but once in close, a better trigger might be produced by a second rod in an adjacent hole presenting a smaller, more-subtle bait.

A new product called Crackle may have merit for perch fishing as well. Canadian Des Barnes developed these gel capsules filled with carbon dioxide crystals. Water enters the capsule and reacts with the crystals, producing erratic pops for about 10 minutes. We haven’t yet tested the product on perch, but feel it will have merit, as it has clearly shown with largemouth and smallmouth bass.

The lateral line of perch can provide anglers with interesting advantages. While some species like walleyes may become alarmed at unnatural vibrations caused by motors, ice augers, or anchors banging on the bottom, these disturbances can attract perch. We’ve seen that the act of cutting new holes can chum fish into an area by a combination of hearing and feeling via the lateral line. Thumping a jig forcefully on the bottom can summon perch, too. Some charter captains even drag chains or cement blocks to create a commotion and attract perch.

Dragging or pounding something heavy on bottom stirs up potential food, while the noise, vibration, and visual attraction calls perch and certainly has merit on deeper flats. On shallower flats, drilling a hole in the ice seems to occasionally stimulate perch into biting for short periods.

Finding perch in winter, as mentioned, may take some teamwork. Traditional feeding grounds have been known to run dry. Just ask the folks up at Devil’s Lake, North Dakota. This doesn’t mean the perch are gone altogether. In the case of Devil’s Lake, dramatic rises in water level have altered the status quo. Perch have far more room to roam in winter, and they’re taking advantage of it. Not only are their traditional areas deeper than in years past, but these areas probably produce less food.

The key is mobility. Move, move, move. And work together. On the sprawling 12-foot flats of Leech Lake, we play leapfrog. With as many anglers as possible, we run in a long line with snowmobiles. If the person at the end of the line, having fished a hole for 10 minutes or so, finds nothing, he runs to the head of the line, grabs the auger, runs 25 to 50 yards and drills another hole. By hop-scotching across the lake, we eventually find hordes of perch.

Generally anglers in this “conga line” fish search lures—small Kastmasters adorned with tiny jigs dangling on a short leader below the spoon. Sometimes we replace the jig with a small hook, since perch at times prefer a whole minnow. And once fish are found, the tactics might change to something a little slower, a little more subtle, like a small Lindy-Little Joe Fat Boy tipped with maggots. But only if necessary, because perch tend to be aggressive in winter. When the action slows, drill a few more holes in the area.

Appealing to what we know about the sensory perceptions of perch makes for better winter trips. In clear water, appeal to their long-range vision with flash. In cloudy water and on dark days, focus on their sense of hearing with rattles and other noise attractors. Live minnows also attract perch in cloudier water through vibrations picked up by the lateral line. First and foremost, keep moving. Perch are moving under the ice. Follow suit.