But what is even more infuriating than stereotyping sunfish and crappies is when yellow perch, not even a distant relative of theirs, are insulted by being labeled "panfish". In my book, perch are not panfish. Think of them instead as immature walleyes that feed with the regularity and intensity of garden moles.

In northern Minnesota, where I spend most of my "perching" hours, these tasty striped nomads are revered for their delicious fillets, voluminous numbers, and consistently large sizes. Setting aside the attributes of flavor and population, we’re left with the topic of size. For many, perch are pesky parasites that rip away at minnows and wax worms not intended for them. For this discussion, two to eight inch yellow perch receive no notice; but rather, perch ranging from nine inches and up are in the spotlight.

Jumbo perch, for the most part, eat jumbo food. Minnows, crayfish, and smaller perch comprise the bulk of a perch’s diet during the cold water period. The remainder of their menu consists of freshwater shrimp, insect larvae, zooplankton, and other miniature aquatic insects. But when push comes to shove, more often than not, perch prey on larger forage than do sunfish and crappies. So why do so many anglers insists on offering them tiny baits?

Unless you know otherwise, assume that the perch in your chosen body of water are meat eaters. And because this article focuses on lure selection not specific fish location, let’s also assume that we’re already on fish. You’ve cut a series of holes covering an entire depth range and your flasher reveals the presence of perch, what next?

The number one search lure for perch, as well as the leading presentation for hooking big fish, is the jigging spoon. Jigging spoons offer two distinct properties. Firstly, they’re intense fluttering and flashing abilities have the power to magnetize schools of roaming perch. Secondly, their shape and typical décor, once fish are drawn in, resemble the baitfish and immature perch that larger perch graze on.

Jigging spoons come in a wealth of brands, sizes, and patterns. As far as jumbo perch go, your lure selection needs to cover two properties: 1.) A jigging spoon must first act as an attractant to entice both sluggish and roaming perch into the strike zone. 2.) A jigging also must keep a fish’s interest long enough to induce feeding.

The temptation part of a jigging spoon’s role comes from its fluttering/pounding and its flash. Often, inactive or distant schooling perch require the intense jigging of a gaudy spoon in order to get their interest. Spoons to consider for this role are Jig-A-Whopper Hawgers, Ivan’s Crushers, JB Lure Varmints, Lindy Little Joe Deadly Darts, Luhr Jensen Crippled Herrings, Bad Dog Lure Laser Eye Willows, Northland Fire-Eye Minnows and System Tackle Thumpers. The aforementioned brands and models have all proven effective in catching jumbo perch. In deep water situations rely on heavier units such as a Deadly Dart, Thumper, Varmint, Crippled Herring or Hawger, whereas lighter fluttering models like Crushers, Laser Eye Willows, and Fire-Eye Minnows perform better in depths of less than 15 feet. Each of these brands and models also offer enough detailing to keep the interest once a fish funnels in.

Effective spoon patterns and colors vary by lake and cloud cover. In general, I prefer bright colors such as florescent orange and green. These colors tend to perform best under bright skies. Overcast days call for subtle colors and metallic patterns. Historically, gold and bronze get the most attention when clouds move in. But when push comes to shove, jigging spoons painted to imitate smaller perch get the nod. Perch are cannibals by nature. Small perch are the staple diet on many of the nation’s greatest jumbo perch factories. If you fish a body of water where crayfish are critical to a perch’s diet, tie on an orange or brownish spoon. If shiner minnows or other silvery baitfish dominate the lexicon of forage, consider pumping a silver or blue lure. In short, just as a successful trout angler would do, "match the hatch".

Tip your spoon with the head of a minnow. Just about any species of minnow will do. In my neck of the woods, fatheads, shiners, and rainbows naturally occur, and they’re also prevalent in the bait stores. Cut or pinch off the minnow’s head just behind the gill plates. You don’t need any more meat than just the head. If your spoon has a treble hook, run one of the barbs from side to side through the head and just behind the minnow’s eyes. Spoons with a single work best when the minnow head is thread onto the hook from the cut opening out through the minnow’s mouth. I generally leave more of the minnow’s body in tact when fishing with a single hook because the extra ½ inch or so helps mask the hook.

Incorporating an effective jigging pattern is the next step to seducing jumbo perch. Perch, like most species targeted beneath the ice, are attracted to motion. Knowing this, a serious pumping action is in order. Snap the spoon upward from one to three feet from the lake floor. Follow each snap by allowing the lure to free-fall back to the bottom. The unrestrained drop allows your spoon to maximize its fluttering attractiveness. Heavy jigging spoons create quite a disturbance when slammed into mud or sand. The ensuing clouds of debris often perk perch’s curiosity. The final step to a successful jigging sequence is what we’ll call the "raise and freeze". After the second or third contact with the bottom simply raise your presentation from six inches to a foot and hold it motionless for a period of 5 to 10 seconds. If nothing strikes, gently quiver the spoon by raising and lower your rod tip no more than an inch or two for another few seconds. Again, freeze your presentation for 5 to 10 seconds and wait. Believe me, if active jumbos are nearby they will lash out. Continue this pattern over and over again until enough feeding fish have been drawn in that all you have to do is get your bait to the bottom in order to hook more fish.