I won't say I'm an expert either but I love to perch fish and do it as often as I can living 3 hours away. First thing, a giant pack of boats doesn't always mean they are catching them. You will rarely see me in the middle of a giant pack unless I'm already on fish and they move in around me. I try to stay off the edges of the pack or go my own way. Second, and I think is most important, is I don't stop and fish unless I mark what I think is a good number of fish and then I try to stop right on the school. Having a trolling motor with spot lock is a huge help with that. I can also make small moves easier. Sometimes 50ft can make a huge difference in my success. And last, if I'm not catching anything, I don't sit around and hope they show up to eat. I go looking for something better. I don't always find it tho. And don't get discouraged. It's a big lake and someone is always catching them somewhere. And someone is always struggling... I've been on both sides plenty of times. Good luck.