By Darin Brown
One of the most prolific panfish in our area is the white perch. The month of May is one of the best months of the year to catch lots of big perch. Light and ultra light spinning or spincast rod and reels rigged with a split shot sinker and a small size 6 or 8 hook with a very small piece of cut bait (usually shad but can be just about any fish) will readily catch white perch. Small spoons often called ice flys will also catch them. These fish often roam the lake in very large schools. When you find them the action will often be fast and furious. During the month of May the tailrace areas below High Rock and Tuckertown Dams will have large schools of perch that are aggressively feeding. Due to the current flow you may need more weight than just a split shot sinker to get your bait to the fish in these areas. White perch can be found in most all areas of the lakes. Look for underwater humps, long points, or just about any other structure. Most of the time they are a foot or two from the bottom. For some great tasting fish, fast action, and just plain fun day try your luck at catching this great panfish.
This month crappie will be in the post spawn time. Some may still be in shallow water at the beginning of the month but most will be moving out of the shallows. Post spawn crappie transitioning from shallow to deeper water will not orient to structure as tight as they did during the spawn. You will need to cover more water to catch a limit of fish. This is a great time to slow troll out from the spawning areas working back toward the deeper channels until you start catching fish.
Largemouth Bass will start bedding about the time the crappies are leaving the beds. Smaller male fish will come in first and will readily take small crankbaits. Once the females come in to the beds they are generally not interested in feeding but may strike a lure to remove it from the bed.
Give us a call or stop in at Hwy. 49 Sporting Goods for the latest fishing information.
Darin Brown – Hwy. 49 Sporting Goods 704-463-7053