Dan Yeoman shows off a classic Lake Erie ‘jumbo’ perch.
By Jeff Tribe
It was a slow morning perch bite off Long Point’s Old Cut Monday, January 13th.
Although fortunately, not in every hut.
“Dead sticking,” Dan Yeoman explained, showing off a brightly-coloured jumbo. “Didn’t actually know he was there at first.”
A fan of ice fishing who also spends a winter week on Lake Nipissing’s hard water near North Bay, Yeoman was sharing space with Jason Triemstra. The Woodstock-area residents have their own hut and do use it, but given high winds, driving snow and a daunting wind chill, they made a gametime decision to book in with James Carroll of Jimmy Riggin’.
“We could have and we would have,” said Triemstra, “but this is better.”
With strong winds both moving and clouding Lake Erie’s waters, Yeoman was keeping a close eye on his electronics (fish finder). They were using a classic perch ice-fishing tactic, ‘flashing’ with one of two legal rods (jigging a brightly-coloured spoon to attract curious perch) and ‘dead-sticking’ (a stationary minnow on a plain hook under a split shot or small jig) on the other.
“They’re not hungry today, so you have to kind of convince them,” Triemstra explained.
Experienced anglers who understand it’s called ‘fishing’ and not ‘catching’ for a reason, the pair continued to work the water, Triemstra catching and releasing a smaller fish. In between the action, there was a chance to enjoy hanging out, relaxing and hope the perch ‘turned on’ before Yeoman had to leave in order to meet kids getting home from school.
They hoped to hit Long Point at least once more this season, taking advantage of ice which isn’t always a given.
“It’s an hour from home,” explained Yeoman, who while hoping to catch a predatory pike, also values the benefits of a perch fry. “Salt and pepper and butter - maybe a little lemon on the side,” he said. “They’re fantastic that way.”
Long Point Inner Bay’s frozen surface is a welcome sight not only for anglers, but also the four ice fishing service operations in the area, stuck on the shore in 2024.
“And the year before,” Carroll added. “The huts haven’t moved for two years.”
He (519-586-7990) began transporting huts Sunday, January 12th, looking to build numbers throughout the week. Over in St. Williams, Woodward’s Ice Fishing Ltd. (519-586-7510) had huts on the ice Tuesday, January 14th; Bayside Ice Fishing (519-586-2666) was scheduled to begin Wednesday, January 15th, with Collins Harbour Bait and Tackle (519-586-2212) also gearing up for its ‘park and shuttle’ option.
The frozen lake hosts many individual anglers as well, some with their own huts or pop-ups, hardier others going old-school on an upside-down five-gallon pail doubling as a carrier for the day’s catch.
All options are viable and can be enjoyable, although on this day, with a hefty wind howling outside, the advantages of a heated, insulated hut was underlined by the staccato of snow peppering its exterior.
However one approaches the sport, no one should venture onto any frozen lake without proper knowledge and understanding of changeable ice conditions let alone a kilometre or two onto Long Point Bay across pressure cracks. Wind sweeping across the ice there can cause whiteouts, even on sunny days. Carroll, who carries a compass on his snowmobile because GPS systems can lose signal in a blizzard, was operating on seven inches of ice on January 13th.
“But I know there’s not seven inches in other spots.”
People come to Long Point for perch says Carroll.
“Perch and pike, but mostly perch. Lots of them and easy to catch… most days at least,” he laughed.
The odd rainbow shows up, and this year, Carroll also saw the first two brown trout he has seen caught on the ice.
Perch are ‘great eating’ says Carroll, who cooks walleye or pickerel in a garlic pasta sauce, however takes a more traditional batter and deep fry approach for perch, with a side order of fries.“The healthy way,” he laughed.
Clients come from ‘all over’ says Carroll, many urbanites enjoying the chance to get out and enjoy a popular Canadian winter activity.
“A lot of families,” he added, “on the weekend, it’s a lot of families.”
That Friday, the perch had been aggressive said Carroll, tailing off into a ‘finicky’ Sunday. They were still biting, however only on half minnows, the majority of those on stationary lines.
“If you moved it, they wouldn’t touch it.”
He subscribes to the ‘flasher/deadstick’ theory under most conditions, a spoon for the former.
“When it’s tough, a minnow just on a hook, that’s it. Nothing fancy, because if you put all that fancy stuff down, they won’t bite.”
The fishing would pick up later that day, the morning slow, although not without fish on the ice. High winds, changing water and critically, says Carroll, a transition from low pressure to high pressure were not the anglers’ friends.
“I don’t know what it (a pressure change) does to them, but they do not like it.”
The change Carroll and others were happiest about however was the transition from Long Point’s open blue waters to the greys, blacks and whites of winter, brutally beautiful in the eyes of ice fishers hoping for a lengthy 2025 season.
“I’d like to go right through until March 15th,” Carroll concluded with a smile.
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