The Prettiest fish swimming?

The Yellow perch, which can be found in lakes around Iowa and in the Mississippi River, might be the coolest fish swimming in our Iowa waters.  Their bright colors and dark black stripes are unmistakable with any other fish.  These fish do not grow very large, a big perch is considered around 12 inches, and if you catch one over 13 inches, that is nearing "trophy size" in this state.  Currently, the best place to go after a "trophy" is the Mississippi River.  Pools 9, 10, and 11 have good numbers of perch in them.  Other top places to search for perch through the ice are; West Lake Okoboji, Spirit Lake, 12-Mile Lake and Brushy Creek to name a few.  

Perch are fun to chase around, but you better have a lot of energy and several augers with you.  They are a roaming fish and are constantly on the move.  You can sit and wait until a group swims by, or you can move around and hunt them down.  Hunting them down has always yielded more perch for me, and the more holes you have drilled the better.  Using your Vexilar to move from one hole to the next is so important to catching these fish.  Also, a smooth spinning reel is a must.  Those big perch do not like the looks of the bottom of the ice and when they get close they are sure to go on a fun, letting that drag sing.  It is a beautiful sound, but at the same time you hold your breath!  My favorite lure for perch is a spoon.  There are many good ones out there, the CLAM Pinhead is great and the CLAM Rattlin PT Spoon are my two favorites.  They sink fast, have great paint jobs and the hooks are durable.  Another great way to catch perch is using a live minnow with a Tip-Down.  These rigs have been popular on the Mississippi River for decades for all types of fish.  They really work well on days that the perch just do not want a spoon or a jig.  It is worth every penny to pick up a couple, they have saved several days on the ice for me.  

The ice season is coming to a close and if you do not get a chance to get out and chase down some perch this winter, I hope this helps you to catch a few more in the future.  Enjoy your time outdoors and be safe out there.