Perch Fishing

[overthelimit]

Very surprising how few guys were wearing pfd's yesterday.

[RedPearl]

[QUOTE=lineman49;52271]

What's the secret to salting them good? Thanks.

What I usually do that works good and is very easy: I'll dip some minnows to take fishing, or just for salt preserving, and right in the parking lot of where I dip them, say the foot of ferry, I'll put just the live flipping minnows in the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket that has a sealable top. I usually use a lowe's bucket, but anything that seals up tight. Then I'll cut holes in the top of non-iodized salt cans and pour them in the bucket and mix up with the minnows and salt with my hand. I don't think you can use too much salt and it's pretty cheap. I try and avoid having any standing water in the bucket when all is said and done, and the salt will pull some fluid out of the fish so keep that in mind. If it's warm I'll put an ice pack in there to keep them cool until I get home. Once I get home I put the entire bucket in a fridge downstairs. Because you have the sealed lid, you get no smell in the fridge. I think the fresh minnows like that last longer, and don't smell as much either.

Then when I go perch fishing I'll use a smaller container to grab some handfuls of salty minnows, the 5 gallon bucket will stay in the fridge all summer. I've netted minnows in march and used them in september, but I wouldn't keep them until the next year.

Never freeze them, they will get soft and fall of the hook too easy. When the fishing has been good anything works. I've actually done experiments and I have found that in order of preference, live emeralds are the best. Usually salted emeralds worked better than other live minnows, but not always seemed like it depended on the day. Sometimes half a salted minnow worked better than a whole one. And sometimes one hook with a salty, and one with a live minnow worked best. The salted minnows can come off the hook easier than a live one, you set the hook and miss you will have to rebait. Sometimes I think that works as chum and brings fish too you. At least that's what I tell myself.

I'm sure you will find a variety of ways to do this, I wanted something quick and easy and it seems to work fine.

[lineman49]

Redpearl, If I am understanding , you just put the minnows & salt in the bucket with no water & stir them up so salt covers all the minnows, correct? I'll try this. Thanks!

[RedPearl]

Redpearl, If I am understanding , you just put the minnows & salt in the bucket with no water & stir them up so salt covers all the minnows, correct? I'll try this. Thanks!

Yep that's all I do, and plenty of salt you might add more when you get home because it draws fluid out of fish.

[lineman49]

Ok , Thanks!

[mikey eyes]

Did any one make it out today?

[Eyeliner]

Not yet, should be a good weekend though

[fishkiller16]

I fished yesterday out of sturgeon point. We did pretty good we used live emralds 56 ft water just west. A buddy used salted emeralds and did pretty well also. There wereaabout 15 boats out there yesterday.

[mikey eyes]

Thanks fish

[lineman49]

Fished SP today , parking lot was full, the woman taking money said over 80 boats launched before 10 am. We kept 42 jumbos 12-14" , 56 fow. did anyone see the boat, trailer & truck in the water at the launch? Bad day of fishing for someone!
All those trucks, trailers, & boats, now I remember why retired people don't fish on weekends!