Dog Lake

[sportsmanlio]

I had never been here before, but I had heard there were some jumbo perch, so we headed over to Lakeview after a short stop at Section 3 of the Sprague River in Bly.

It turns out Dog Lake is more than 20 miles out of Lakeview on windy backroads that are only one lane in most places. After the (sometimes harrowing) drive, we arrived at the boat dock. This is the only part of the lake that allowed us to get back the weedy shorelines without wading, so we fished here.

We didn't catch a lot of fish, but we caught the biggest bluegills I've ever seen and a few nice perch. My brother landed a bull 'gill that was over 3/4 of a pound! Curlytail and tube jigs were the ticket, and most of the fish we caught hit them as they sunk to the bottom. Worms didn't work for the perch...

 

[colbypearson]

Dog lake is cool it has a lot of one eyed catfish or even completely blind catfish its pretty cool lots of areas where the shoreline is actually just a floating island that the catfish have lived under for hundereds of years i assume until they developed their current characteristics, last time i was there i caught one perch a little over 2lbs and 15.5", big bass in there too.

 

[sportsmanlio]

That is awesome! I didn't catch any cats or bass, but I wasn't really fishing for them. I was after the giant perch like the one you mentioned. What entices a 2 lb perch to bite? Was it an incidental catch while throwing a plastic for bass or something?

 

[colbypearson]

im sure a live worm would work the best its just about the right time at the right place

lots of trophy perch fisherman around the country use small swimbaits to catch giant perch..

 

[sportsmanlio]

Thanks! I am going to have to go back out there despite the long drive. My friend just got a boat, so maybe I can convince him to take it out there. It was a very nice setting, and with your advice, I may just be able to catch some nice fish. I really appreciate it!

 

[sportsmanlio]

I dropped $50 on that website for perch fishing gear. It is supposed to be here today, and if it is, then I will head out there tomorrow. Thanks for such great advice!

 

[colbypearson]

I dropped $50 on that website for perch fishing gear. It is supposed to be here today, and if it is, then I will head out there tomorrow. Thanks for such great advice!

no problem i hope you can get a giant perch, with larger baits you will get less bites but i bet if you keep persistant and figure them out you will land a perch weighing over 2lbs

 

[sportsmanlio]

That would roughly double my current personal record. I sure hope the baits get here tonight as scheduled! Do you think it would still be worth it if I didn't have a boat? My friend hasn't got his registered, etc. yet...

Could I realistically catch a big one from the dock, or should I wade past the weedy shorelines and cast from there?

Also, I've fished swimbaits before, but what's the best method? Do I let it sink to the bottom and just inch it along, or do I reel steady?

Sorry to ask so many questions, but it is a long drive to go out unprepared

 

[colbypearson]

That would roughly double my current personal record. I sure hope the baits get here tonight as scheduled! Do you think it would still be worth it if I didn't have a boat? My friend hasn't got his registered, etc. yet...

Could I realistically catch a big one from the dock, or should I wade past the weedy shorelines and cast from there?

Also, I've fished swimbaits before, but what's the best method? Do I let it sink to the bottom and just inch it along, or do I reel steady?

Sorry to ask so many questions, but it is a long drive to go out unprepared

well with those small ones i would let them sink and hop them or just fish them on a slow retreive let the fish tell you what they want to eat, i have caught plenty of big fish from the shore and if the perch are acessable from shore then that would work fine, give it a go and let us know how you do... tackle warehouses shipping is great if its scheduled for delivery tonight it should be there anyime.

 

[sportsmanlio]

I will try it, and if I get out there tomorrow, I will let you know. I had a client call and schedule an appointment for tomorrow just a few minutes ago. I normally have Fridays off, but I had to get this done, because I will be out of town next week.

I am sure gonna try to get out there tomorrow, and if not, then maybe when I get back. Either way, I am excited, and I will definitely let you know how it goes! Thanks again!