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Hi All...
My husband & I were avid perch fishermen in this area about 20yrs ago. My dad went with us all of the time & when he passed, it just wasn't the same going out w/o him. We sold our boat, bought a Harley, moved to SWFL (Pine Island), bought a boat & became avid grouper fishermen. Than came the blue-green algea which destroyed our fishing areas, and last year we took a direct hit from Hurricane Ian. We will be selling our FL home this winter & coming back home here to roost.
I inherited my families lake front home here on Cedar Lake 2yrs ago, we pulled our boat up here this summer & we're back out trying to catch perch once again. Just from the posts I have read, the perching spots still seem to be in the same areas as they were 20yrs ago, but like everyone else, where's the perch? We went out last Monday & nothing, not even a bite!
So Ive been following posts to see when they arrive, bc it is a small haul pulling our boat up too the ditch to launch & fish.
I appreciate everyone's updates, we're in a Pro-Line boat with FL numbers, give us a shout if you see us...ty!

Welcome back! Issue has been cold water has been offshore, starting to come back in now should pick up.

Welcome aboard! It's been tough for fishing near shore lately but hopefully picks up soon. 

Btw, I had a Proline a few years ago and loved it!

On Friday they were about 20 feet near Mt. Baldy/Black Ditch

In recent years, between changes from quagga mussels greatly changing water clarity and the food web, and also in weather patterns, the perch fishing has generally moved later in the summer. Many people overlook August and September. In the last 10 years, the perch catch rate in August/September has actually been better than the catch rate in in June/July

Perch are scattered and out deeper after the spawn, and it has generally been about mid-July before they show up nearshore. But with warmer water, it also seems that they stick around later in the summer/fall

This year has been particularly challenging due to uniform water temperatures and lack of a thermocline. Without a strong thermocline, perch will be scattered over a really large area. They should be showing up soon with this stretch of nice weather. 

 

Excellent resource for info on perch fishing is a Facebook group call "Perch Fishing Lake Michigan". Usually daily updates.