(Jan. 03, 2012)... Late winter brings about
  opportunities. Certain species begin lining up like 2-for1 day at "Old Country
  Buffet." Yellow perch, in particular, become extremely active during the final
  weeks of the ice season.
Some real monster perch get stuck this time of the year, and I’m not talking
  the thumbs down size, but the 10, 12, and 14-inchers we crave to catch. These
  egg-laden chubos cruise mud flats and weedbeds devouring about anything that
  crosses their paths. For the angler, mobility is the key to finding schools of
  these marauding perch, most encounters happening in anywhere from 10 to 30-feet
  of water. Consequently, you need to be flexible and diligent in your searching
  scheme. But once located, more often than not, the feed is on.
Contrary to public opinion that contends the little tigers are munching
  baitfish, perch are feeding on larvae of several types, as they do most of the
  winter. In Iate February, March, and April, caddis, mayfly, and other waterlife
  that inhabits the bottom come to life. Experts claim that the angle of the sun
  and lengthened light of day create the phenomenon that wakes these sleeping
  midgets.
With this in mind, I like to target areas of the lake with clear-cut bottom
  content transmissions - spaces where mud, marl, sand and or rock make
  acquaintance. These are prime rearing grounds where millions of larvae develop
  and rise from the bottom under the ice and again in late June and July when
they  emerge on wing and lay eggs on the open surface to renew the process. It’s
the  perfect circle of life in the death stare of a perch.
Locating these prime areas has been made simpler by applying technology.
  Humminbird’s 385ci, for example, equipped with a LakeMaster chip, makes short
  work of finding and defining perch hangouts. When arriving on the scene, I rely
  on my electronics to spell doom to a school of hungry perch.
Two other sneaky spots that are often overlooked by perch pirates are
  scattered rock piles and shallow weed flats in depths of 6 to 12-feet of water.
  Wait a minute you say, "What about the larvae theory?" Hey, you don’t eat the
  same food all the time do you? Perch are very adaptable foragers. Baby crayfish
  from last year’s hatch begin to move slowly over rocks and in and around
shallow  sand grass flats. I’m talking about dark brown, one to two-inch craws
that have  been hiding all winter in the rocks like fraidy cats. Perch sense the
movement a  single antenna or pincer and the bibs go on. This, my friends, can
make for some  of the fastest fishing of the season.
"Soft and light, makes everything right". This statement sticks in my brain
  when it comes to applying the choke-hold on sometimes finicky perch that may
  thumb their nose at certain offerings. Herculean ice angler, Brian "Bro"
  Brosdahl has devoted a lifetime to understanding perch and their wintertime
  ways. He was integral in the design of the Bro Series combos for Frabill, some
  of which were engineered specifically for perching. With advice from a stable
of  ice fishing thoroughbreds, such as Marty and Scott Glorvigen and myself,
Frabill  makes more species-specific combos than any other ice fishing rod
builder. New  to the scene, Frabill’s Straight Line Combo combines sensitivity
with a light  aluminum alloy fly reel that feels like a custom golf club in your
hands. With  great shallow water applications, the Straightlining method gives
you the power  to present small baits in a natural state. "No spin to win," I
say. With rod  lengths of 24 to 32-inches and a soft tip that divulges the
slightest bite, the  Straight Line Combos should move straight to the top of
your must-have list.
Spool-up your ice combos with Suffix Ghost braid in 2-lb test, and look out
  perch. Lures of choice are always an opinion at best, but I have proven
  favorites. When fishing depths of 15 to 25-feet, a #3 Rapala Jiggin Rap lends
  the ideal size and movement when I am searching for hungry, aggressive perch.
  Consider it a search tool as well, grabbing the attention of fish that you
might  have to ultimately downsize to catch.
When I get shallow, mowing the sand grass and pounding small rocks, I jig
  small Luhr-Jensen Crippled Minnow Spoons, cannibalistically colored in Metallic
  Perch or Fire Tiger. Most often, during late winter, I attach 4 to 6 maggots or
  2 waxies to the single, free-flowing and ultra-sharp hook. Next I pinch the
  grubs a smidgen to create an aroma trail to capture their sensory organs.
In the greater wild kingdom, these are little tigers indeed. But scaled down
  to what lurks beneath the ice, the tigers I tame would impress even Barnum
&  Bailey. I have a hunch they’d welcome a plate of perch between
performances,  too.