Deep perch

Hey guys went fishing with my kids at 23 feet water but hardly even marked perch from 7 to 12pm in the same area days before I went to 33 feet and caught more......are perch really deeper than 30 feet or 40 ? Seems like that for my bay off innisfil. Any input be appreciated. They should move back shallow by March I'm thinking ? I just thought 30 feet was really deep to ice fish perch thanks

About this time you may have to go to 40-45 feet, it's not uncommon. I've caught perch off the west side of Snake in around 70+ feet.

Yesterday I fished Cooks Bay in 39 fow. It was steady fishing 6:30am to 1pm when I called it a day.

Small presentations were key. Most effective was the Northland Forage Jig (1/8 oz Pink Tiger), with and without a tiny piece of salted minnow.

Was out at beaverton in about 28 feet from 9 til 12 was non stop caught about 40 with 8 good eaters taken home if you got one on the line others would follow up towards hole even caught one about 8 feet below hole watched him go at it he was near surface on the outside of my hole was fun to watch

Agreed with the others. The perch can be very deep. Had days when I was out in deep water (70-90+') targeting whitefish and had to move because it was all perch, sometimes lots of dinks too, being marked (and caught). The problem with catching perch from that deep is that their air bladders will blow out their mouths unless you pull them up really slowly but then if they are dinks you are wasting your time and still may cause them to die so no reason to stay in that area. If they were all jumbos and you planned on keeping them then fine. And at this depth, I was catching them on the larger Williams spoons so it was not like using a larger bait would reduce you dink catches either.

A couple weeks ago we marked a school in 49 feet but they were all dinks. We had to keep moving to find the jumbo’s.

We have been fishing them in 40 to 50 FOW the last two weeks and catching them consistently in all locations along some stretches of river beds Unfortunately the majority are under ten inches with the odd jumbo. Bright colors or anything that glows have been working best. Noticing most are males. Tomorrow I will start to push shallow maybe get into some better size. I'll let you guys know what I find.

Deepest thoughts have ever caught a perch was 109’. Had it on for 5 mins easy. Kept getting g tapped and setting the hook. 😂. Turned out it was on the whole time.

They do go deep.

Disco, you brought back a funny memory.
Had same experience once, same depth, on spreader/tipup. Perch was too small to swim away with spreader, i must have given it whiplash from setting the hook numerous times, while trying to figure out what the heck this whitefish was up to. Finally pulled the line to check and there he was in all his six inches of glory. Tasted same as shallow water perch

Although I don't usually go this deep but my best perch day on
Simcoe ice was in 55 fow

😂😂😂. Yup same story.
Mine was given away to someone else so I can’t state as to flavour difference. 😂

Had a similar experience but not with perch but a tiny sculpin in deep water (not goby; this was way back before gobies invaded Simcoe).