Island Lake (near Athabasca) Perch Fishing Help

[Shaner14]

Hi All,
This is my first post, but have spent many hours reading on this awesome forum! I looking for a little help from some of the many fishing guru's on here.

I have been fishing at Island Lake for many years now, but always for pike. This year I decided to switch it up and try to go for perch. I have put in many hours this year, with little luck. We have found a few spots on the lake, usually in about 3-6 ft of water, where there are constantly schools of perch swimming around, with most of them being pretty small with the odd big one. The problem is none of them seem to have interest in biting. The smaller ones usually flock toward the bait when they see it, but once they get close they have no interest. The bigger ones just ignore it all together. I usually use a small jig head with artificial maggots, minnow heads and have also tried small frozen minnows.

I usually am out on the lake between 10 and 5 and it has usually been pretty hot every time we have gone out. Should I maybe be going into deeper (colder) water to find the bigger ones? What is the best setup for perch? Any key things to look for when finding a good location?

I am just looking for any tips/tricks.

Thanks in advance for the help!

[.270fan]

We usually have better success with perch in the early mornings and evenings. Maybe try adjusting the time of day you are chasing them.

[Kim473]

Try using a live worm and a tiny bobber.