Flash Luring Perch

“A flash lure that spins while pausing the bait is going to cost you, “ Mitchell went on. “Using an underwater camera, I’ve watched perch after perch stare at a spinning spoon, and the instant the spoon stops spinning, boom: They hit.

“Adding a swivel or snap-swivel reduces line twists and the amount your lure spins when you hold the bait motionless,” he adds. “I like snap-swivels mainly because they allow me to change lures quickly, and I’ve yet to notice that they prevent perch from striking spoons.”

Magically simple—flash lures are easy to use. The lure weight keeps the line taut and makes it easy to detect strikes. They’re good hookers, too—I rarely miss perch with them.

Start by sharply lifting the rod tip about 12 inches. Then immediately drop the tip back to the starting position and let the lure free-fall, fluttering and flashing like an injured baitfish back into place. On the lift portion of the jigging stroke, you should be able to feel the lure vibrate. No wondering what to do next. Lift-drop-hold. Lift-drop-hold. That’s it—you’re almost an expert.

When perch move in, don’t stop jigging but be sure to pause (hold) the bait long enough to give fish time to strike (5 to 30 seconds). Sometimes perch hesitate to strike on the first lift-fall-hold, but slam the bait the next time the bait flutters and stops. It’s just the way perch react to flash lures.

Jigging 2 to 5 feet from bottom is a great way to get fish from a distance. Jigging above a school of perch also entices active fish that rise up and take the bait, which prevents spooking the school while fighting a fish.

Mitchell: “I always start jigging up from bottom, say 4 to 5 feet, and I jig fairly aggressively when there aren’t any fish under me. Jigging high allows perch to move in and school below the lure. When 4 to 10 perch are below me, they seem to get competitive and start swimming toward my lure.

“Once a fish gets close, I envision my flash lures as two lures. Again, I use the flash and vibration to attract fish under me,” he explains, “then I rely on the treble tipped with bait to entice bites. Shaking the rod slightly to get the treble and bait rocking, but not the spoon, has triggered lots of perch for me.

“The trick is getting the first perch to bite,” he says. “Once that happens, it’s game-on and suddenly the entire school is ready to eat. Then it becomes a matter of getting your bait down quickly while the perch are active. Becoming proficient at getting fish up and your bait down quickly can be the difference between catching two or ten perch,” he adds.

Observe the fish on your electronics and note how they respond to certain-sized flash lures and jigging moves. Try specific twitches and lifts, drops and periods of pausing, until you get a positive response. Sometimes they shy away from lots of flash and vibration; other times vibration and flash triggers aggressive behavior. When you get one to bite, duplicate what you just did to fool the rest of the school. And if your fishing partner’s holes are producing bigger perch, move closer.