08/06/2025
LET'S TALK ABOUT PERCH ON BIG STONE LAKE!
We have had a lot of questions about the perch bite on Big Stone Lake after an unusual winter last year.
Big Stone Lake is a unique body of water as it is a shallow reservoir with an average depth of 10-13 feet and it typically has fairly clear water during the winter months.
Last winter there was little to no snow cover most of the winter which made the fish (especially perch) spook very easy and it brought oxygen levels much higher than usual which can change fish and bait behaviors. For the first time in many years we saw a ton of big walleyes roaming the basin when they are typically chasing in the shallows. We saw the perch scatter and they were very difficult to find, however the big bluegills and crappies kept roaming the basin and bit very well.
With these changes, there was a lot of speculation on the perch, "where did they go?" Some people thought they were gone and some thought they relocated to areas not typically fished. For the last seven months we have been discussing this with the DNR fisheries as well with no definate conclusion. We were all curious how the fall bite this year would show its perch numbers as last fall was easy limits of 9-11 inch perch. Now that we are finally back on the front side of the fall perch bite, we are excited to share that we have been getting a lot of good perch reports the last few weeks and this past spring there was a huge hatch of perch witnessed by many off their docks.
Typical for August, the perch are not schooled up yet and most anglers are getting them trolling crankbaits or crawler harnesses down the center of the lake. We had one report today of an angler that caught 50 and kept their 15 perch limit...not a bad day. Of course they are also getting occassional big walleyes while trolling also.
So what is the consensus? Are the numbers of perch down some...maybe, but its pretty early to tell. Is there a decent bite going for them now, yes according to several reports. As we go further into the fall months, we will know more.
As for last winter, we went from solid netting numbers from the DNR and easy limits in the fall to "where did they go" a couple months later. Some will jump to conclusions and look to point fingers, but a lake does not change like that from October to January considering there was no fish die off observed or reported.
Our belief is nature does its thing, weather affects patterns and lakes cycle. I can tell you that I grew up on Big Stone Lake from the early 80's and the last ten years Big Stone Lake has been the best I ever seen in terms of a balanced fishery of eater perch, huge bluegills, the comeback of the crappies, lots of walleyes (crazy number of 24-30 inch fish), more northerns than I care to see and plenty of other fish to make the rod bend! In my opinion, the curly leaf pondweed is the best thing that ever happened to the lake, creating habitat for amazing natural reproduction and a place for little fish to hide. Not very many lakes in the midwest have the quality and balanced fishery that Big Stone Lake has.
Feel free to share your thoughts, however lets keep this thread respectful.
Artie Arndt
www.artiesbait.com
www.econolodgeortonville.com
