Generally, perch on flats are locomotive in nature. After finding perch, he’ll use the camera to observe perch reactions to different presentations, then refine tactics and make them bite. Brosdahl will lower an Aqua-Vu and spin it around to check the health of vegetation, learn about cover, and look for bloodworm “smokestacks” on bottom and other forage. It saves on holes to drill and is a great search tool,” Chong said. “Rather than drill a hole, see nothing, then drill another hole, and so on, I’ll lower the Panoptix, look around and know I’ve found fish or that I don’t have to drill a hole for another 50 feet. Chong uses Garmin’s Panoptix to locate fish faster. Some years back, I watched Brosdahl scan a flat using Humminbird’s 360 Imaging from his Toyota FJ Cruiser to locate roaming panfish. Photo by Dave Chong.īrosdahl and Chong aren’t shy about going high-tech on ice. The trouble that some anglers face when fishing flats is their size, but with the right tactics and presentations anglers can quickly sift through unproductive water and dial-in biting perch. Digital lake maps also display large uprisings and substantial features, like contour bends and drop-offs. ![]() The data is uploaded into one of his Garmin portable units before first ice. Of course, modern ice anglers have plenty of technology for tracking down perch, which is advantageous in turbid water and on mid-depth to deep flats.Ĭhong prefers doing this homework in open water from his boat during the warmer months, saving GPS waypoints for rock piles and other attractive features. Gazing down into clear water on shallow flats is effective for locating sand patches, weed lines, rock piles and other bottom irregularities. Brosdahl also looks for hard-bottom zones, like shell beds or rocky uprisings, as they help perch to capture darters, minnows, crayfish, insects and other food. When perch hold on deeper flats, a typical midwinter pattern, Chong likes rock piles and rubble depth irregularities. ![]() “The grass mixed with rubble is key for holding them in an area.” “When shallow, I like sand grass, with little piles of rocks or rubble mixed in,” Chong said, noting that sand grass isn’t a tall vertical plant, but typically only grows a few inches off of the bottom. Sand grass is another good find, according to Lake Simcoe ice-fishing expert, Dave Chong of Aurora, Ontario. “Bloodworms feed on decaying matter, and crayfish, too.” ![]() “In winter cabbage and milfoil can be nothing but the stubble, but they will hold fish,” Brosdahl said.
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