Perch Quandary

[fishingrocket]

I couldn't decide between Strike and Cascade. The catch rate and average size at C.J. Strike are phenomenal. Cascade can be slow and most are dinks. However, the best chance for a wall hanger is at Cascade. Obviously for a perch fisherman, this is a good quandary to have. The bottom line was that my freezer is getting full and where I was going at Strike was a bit risky with the warming temperatures. I will attach a photo from my last day at Strike on 1-31-2013.

It was Friday, Feb. 1 and I decided on Cascade. I had never fished there except earlier when the ice was marginal and I couldn't go where my instincts told me to. So this was essentially my first real trip.

The fishing was technical and slow at times but I eventually started catching enough small perch to keep active. Finally in the afternoon, I caught a couple that would be gargantuan anywhere else. They were "only" 14" and the fat one measured 1.5 pounds. They did not meet my wall hanger criteria but that gives me a reason to go back. I will attach a photo.

FR
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[cpierce]

Those all look like good perch to me. Congratulations on some nice fish.

I don't think I could get a perch past the frying pan to get it on the wall.....[laugh][]
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[psanders71]

Beautiful! Soooooo jealous we do not have such fisheries on the East side of the state. [frown]
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[Duck-Slayer]

very awesome, that isn't that bad of Quandary, CJ almost never freezes and Cascade always does, so too me its a no brainer, CJ all the way, you may never see it freeze again. Hopefully it will, just gives you a better chance the ones you caught at cascade could have been a year older and at least 1" longer....[], but that's easy for me too say I got 2 on the wall over 15"...
Matt
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[fishingrocket]

Well put Duck-Slayer. Like I said, the freezer is almost full so I am looking at things a bit differently than you are for more reasons than your wall hangers. Since the entire reservoir at Strike is full of those fish, we will probably continue to pound them through the coming summer so I doubt that my perch future is bleak from a volume view point. I do appreciate how much of a freak it is this year to have frozen over.

What I fear is that both situations are once-in-a-lifetime. I missed the great fishing at Cascade last year so if this is the last year of the monsters, I want to get it while I can. From the reports, perch over 15" were more common last year than this year. It could be that those mutants will die of old age by next year and will not be seen again in my lifetime. I want to join you with putting one on the wall because (unlike others) I appreciate perch of that size and recognize that not everyone on the planet will land one.

FR
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[TheGrovBone]

Wow! Great fish! I'm glad you caught those things - now the kids can rest assured if they go swimming they'll keep their toes!
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