Perch Fiesta at Mancos State Park
It feels good to target something and catch it. I'll be the first to extol the virtues of Trout. A well fed Trout can taste better than anything you could possibly buy at any market at any price, however, after 2340982309843 recipes, you might just get the hankerin for a different flavor. We'd heard that Jackson Gulch Reservoir in Mancos State Park had abundant Perch, so much that they plead with anglers to keep and cook their catch. Every time we've targeted the Perch with no ice, we've been unsuccessful catching small Rainbow after small Rainbow. The Rainbows look healthy and happy but hey, small Rainbows are a dime a dozen around here. Yesterday was a different story.
We arrived later in the afternoon to creaking, cracking and groaning ice. Don't sweat it, it's 7 inches thick, just think of the noise as a soundtrack to your day. We brought night crawlers. Those of you who know me know that I sort of have a thing for bait, I usually make fun of the fishermen that use it, but it's a big lake out there and I've got a 10 inch column in which to work, so a bit of crawler on the end of the lure is pretty much a must. So I lift my bait snobbery for ice fishing... just ice fishing, and still won't touch that vile powerbait that leaves neon dayglo splotches all over the ice.
The first time I dropped my gold 1/8oz Kastmaster down the hole it fell and fell it must have been close to 25 or 30 feet deep. When I reeled tension to the line after it hit bottom there was an 11" Perch on it! I repeated this time and time again but the fish were mostly in the neighborhood of 6" I pulled out one more 11" tubby mamma but generally speaking it was small fish. If you fished anywhere but the bottom you'd catch a Rainbow so we stayed close to the bottom and brought up 40 Perch. That sounds like a lot but once they're filleted, you're not feeding an army that's for sure. The bigger fillets I breaded and fried for fish n chips. DELICIOUS! Mellow yet flavorful and delicate, this is damn good eating. I defy you to find better fish n chips anywhere. Stay on the bottom and be patient. Don't worry about the little guys they fry up just fine. Perch have a slow working swim bladder so typically when you bring them up from these depths the swim bladder has expanded, likely causing internal damage. Catch and release ice fishing for Perch is not a thing, just go out there intending to catch a lot of lil fish and sharpen your fillet knife! They're worth the work, and the more we catch them the bigger the average size will be, as there will be less competition for the available food. The bag limit is unlimited for Perch on the Western Slope, so gear up, drill a hole and go get some, you won't regret it!
We arrived later in the afternoon to creaking, cracking and groaning ice. Don't sweat it, it's 7 inches thick, just think of the noise as a soundtrack to your day. We brought night crawlers. Those of you who know me know that I sort of have a thing for bait, I usually make fun of the fishermen that use it, but it's a big lake out there and I've got a 10 inch column in which to work, so a bit of crawler on the end of the lure is pretty much a must. So I lift my bait snobbery for ice fishing... just ice fishing, and still won't touch that vile powerbait that leaves neon dayglo splotches all over the ice.
The first time I dropped my gold 1/8oz Kastmaster down the hole it fell and fell it must have been close to 25 or 30 feet deep. When I reeled tension to the line after it hit bottom there was an 11" Perch on it! I repeated this time and time again but the fish were mostly in the neighborhood of 6" I pulled out one more 11" tubby mamma but generally speaking it was small fish. If you fished anywhere but the bottom you'd catch a Rainbow so we stayed close to the bottom and brought up 40 Perch. That sounds like a lot but once they're filleted, you're not feeding an army that's for sure. The bigger fillets I breaded and fried for fish n chips. DELICIOUS! Mellow yet flavorful and delicate, this is damn good eating. I defy you to find better fish n chips anywhere. Stay on the bottom and be patient. Don't worry about the little guys they fry up just fine. Perch have a slow working swim bladder so typically when you bring them up from these depths the swim bladder has expanded, likely causing internal damage. Catch and release ice fishing for Perch is not a thing, just go out there intending to catch a lot of lil fish and sharpen your fillet knife! They're worth the work, and the more we catch them the bigger the average size will be, as there will be less competition for the available food. The bag limit is unlimited for Perch on the Western Slope, so gear up, drill a hole and go get some, you won't regret it!
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