How To Target Jumbo Perch

While many anglers are out chasing after 10 pound bass or 30 inch walleyes, the jumbo perch are often overlooked. However, these fish can provide an extremely fun day of fishing, and make for great table fare come dinner time. So if you’re ready to catch your limit, here’s how to target them.

When and Where to Target Jumbo Perch

Jumbo perch are easiest to find in lakes, ponds, or even rivers. You’ll want to look for a body of water with abundant vegetation that provides protection from predators as well as prime hunting grounds for smaller baitfish.

During the spring, jumbo perch are going to move up into the shallows to spawn. Areas with plenty of weeds or rocks are your best bet. Submerged brush piles can also work well. In the summer you’ll find them moving to deeper waters. They’ll be found where there’s vegetation, sunken timber, rock piles, or any other kind of structure that con provide both structure and ambush points. Transition zones are key areas to target as well. Look for humps, drop offs, and ledges.

While it’s common for perch to stay together in schools, it’s not unusual for the larger jumbo perch to roam out on their own looking for their next meal. While you can find these fish all throughout the day, the first few hours of the morning and the last few hours of the evening are going to be your prime times to target.

Finding and Catching Jumbo Perch

Once you’ve found a body of water to fish, you’ll want to do some research to find some of those key areas discussed above. Finding vegetation and some of the transition areas is usually easily done with the electronics on your boat. You’ll also want to try to pay attention to baitfish in the area. Jumbo perch are typically on the move looking for food, and will stick close to areas where baitfish and other food sources are available.

When it comes to your hook, jigs are the go to option. Small jigs, especially in the 1/8 and 1/16 sizes, are what you’ll do best with. You’ll want to pair these with some sort of bait as well. Minnows, worms, leeches, wax worms, and artificial are all solid options. Pick whatever makes the most sense for the area that you’re fishing.

Once you’ve found an area that looks ready to fish and you’re all set up, it’s time to start fishing. Electronics are going to be your best friend, as you’ll be able to see if the perch are holding tight to the bottom or if they’re suspended throughout the water column.

You have a few options for how to actually fish jumbo perch. First, you can try casting your jig out and working it back to you slowly, keeping it in the strike zone. Second, you could try adding a bobber and casting to where the fish are. Most commonly, you’ll position yourself over the fish and do some vertical jigging. With these methods, you’ll be filling the livewell (and the fry pan) in no time.