Perch can display a narrow and unpredictable preference for certain baits. Part of their quirky nature lies in their opportunistic lifestyle, selectively feeding on a variety of items from zooplankton to small insect larvae to scuds to minnows. Whether perch are on shallow weedy flats at early-ice or on deeper transitions in midwinter, never is a fish’s patterning more important, often requiring a few hard-fought rounds to score big.

When perch are aggressive they often treat baits like heavyweights. One particular early-ice outing comes to mind, when our shiners set on steel leaders below tip-ups became quarry for jumbos rather than pike. Never mind that we were offering maggot-packed jigs to perch through other nearby holes with no takers on this shallow flat.

On the other hand, we’ve also seen groups of perch come in to inspect a flashy curiosity but remain reluctant to strike. Whether it’s fishing pressure, a change in weather, or an adjustment in diet, perch can shut down on more aggressive presentations requiring smaller, subtler offerings. Certain presentations win by unanimous decision simply because they catch perch when many others don’t.

One-Two Punch

Although introduced to In-Fisherman readers over two decades ago, the dropper rig design actually finds its origin among European anglers. Coined by In-Fisherman Editor In Chief Doug Stange as the best perch lure of all time, this search rig, as it’s also called, is composed of a baited hook or small jig presented on a dropper line slightly below a flash or swimming lure. Its primary purpose is to attract perch with the flash of a swimming lure and trigger strikes on the smaller bait offered on the dropper.

Good attractor lures include flash baits like the Acme Kastmaster, Hopkins Shorty, or Bay De Noc Swedish Pimple in the 1/16- to 1/4-ounce range. Swimmers like Rapala’s Jigging Rap and Jigging Shad Rap, and the Nils Master Jigger or Jigging Shad, also are effective search lures. Ice Fishing Guide Editor Jeff Simpson, a seasoned dropper rigger, also likes Salmo’s Chubby Darter as a search lure because of its high visibility.

Spoons and swimmers give the rig a different action. Spoons impart a wobble as it descends and an erratic action when jigged vertically, while swimmers have a spiraling action. Simpson finds that heavy swimmers get baits down quickly, a good asset when the bite is hot and you need to present baits in a hurry.

Remove the treble from the attractor lure and tie on a 2- to 21⁄2-inch dropper with a small single hook or treble, or a 1/32- or 1/64-ounce leadhead jig. These dropper-length specs are fairly exact; anything longer results in increased tangles. Simpson often attaches the dropper line to the lure with a loop knot to help it swing freely below the bait.

The nose and tail hooks on swimming lures can be retained to hook perch that strike the search lure, but removing them makes the rig more tangle-resistant without sacrificing numbers. Just about all the strikes are on the dropper.

Pack the trigger hook or jig with maggots or use a small shiner. Also try adding a Berkley Crappie Nibble or a piece of Eagle Claw Nitro Gem to the hook shank below the eye for added color and flavor to attract perch. Other options for added visibility are sliding an Owner Glow Bead over the hook eye, or using a glow hook like Northland Tackle’s Super-Glo Attractor Hook.

For the dropper line, use a lighter 4- to 6-pound monofilament like Berkley Trilene XL or a fluorocarbon line. Six-pound FireLine serves well as a mainline, allowing better feel in deep water, but 4- or 6-pound mono is a good all-around choice for most conditions. 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.

Some of the original dropper designs have a hook suspended on a thin piece of chain below the attractor lure. Perch don’t mind the chain, in fact it appears to help the bait’s attraction in many situations; and Simpson finds that baits dangle more freely on a chain than on a mono dropper. Nils Master offers several versions of the Hali, a flash lure dropper rig with a hook suspended on a small chain. They also offer replacement chain hooks and dropper chains of different lengths.

On the Ropes

With a few modifications, the drop-shot rig—a hot presentation for bass—can be productive for perch. The rig consists of a weight at the end of the mainline, with a hook positioned on the line a set distance above bottom. Vary the hook position from a few inches to a foot or two off bottom where winter perch are likely feeding.

A drop-shot weight or standard bell sinker of at least 1/4 ounce keeps line taught to detect bites and helps get the rig down quickly. A jig at the end of the tag line rather than a weight serves the purpose of the weight, but also acts as an attractor lure that bottom-hugging perch might find appealing.

Tie the hook to the mainline with a Palomar knot. The hook shank should be perpendicular to the mainline with the hook point up. The longer shank on Aberdeen-style hooks allows baits to be presented a further distance from the mainline, making it easier for the taking. Pack the hook with maggots or tip with a live shiner. Again, try tacking on a bright Crappie Nibble near the hook eye for added color, scent, and flavor.

Drop-shot rigging through an ice hole is primarily a dead-sticking technique, but slightly quivering the rig now and again can entice perch into biting. A slight lift-and-drop—not too often—allows the weight to bump bottom and stir sediments, which can attract curious perch and trigger strikes.

Single or multiple (where legal) baited hooks on light mono leaders, rather than tied directly to the mainline, is another effective method to present baits at set distances off bottom. Multiple-hook rigs of this sort function like Sabiki rigs, which are popular to catch schooling saltwater baitfish.

Attach snelled Aberdeen dropper hooks to the mainline at about 1-foot increments from the bottom weight, and bait hooks with maggots or small shiners. Small jigs and ice flies also work well on these bottom rigs, or present combinations of bait types to give perch a selection of potential meals. One popular setup is to use a heavier jig on the bottom leader with one or two ice flies or baited hooks presented above the jig.

Left Hook, Right Hook

Spreaders are popular winter perch rigs on larger fisheries like the Great Lakes, and should be good in other waters 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 to attach lines.

Crooked-Eye Walleye Lures makes perch spreaders, with their narrower 7-inch-wide Ice Spreader designed to fit through an ice-fishing hole. The 3/4-ounce Ice Spreader has a swiveling center weight and a #2 Colorado spinner at the end of each arm. Anglers also can make their own custom spreaders or pick up various models sold in bait stores.

To each end of the spreader, attach hooks like Eagle Claw Aberdeen Snells. Tip hooks with shiners (emerald shiners are an Erie favorite). Again, for added color and scent attraction, slide on one or two Eagle Claw Nitro Gems or Berkley Crappie Nibbles in chartreuse, red, or orange.

Doug Stange suggests adding a tiny spinner directly above each hook for added visual attraction. Slide a glow bead and a tiny clevis above the knot to allow it to spin freely, or slide the line through the blade for a slight wobbling effect. Eagle Claw and HT Enterprises offer these types of panfish rigs.

The next time you go a few rounds with perch, pull no punches with these effective presentations. After all, the gloves are on in winter; so float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.