TOPIC:

Friend Joe Moskalick and I won the perch Derby yesterday with a 13 1/4 inch perch caught in 39 ft of water about a mile north of the New Buffalo.
The day started off fast and furious and we thought for sure we would have some Michigan Limits (35) but that didn't happen for us. In the first 1/2 hour
we started off in 35 ft where we marked fished and slow jigged towards shallower waters, when I hit a double and the bigger fish was 10 1/2 we though it was going to be a great
day. We caught lots of fish but we try not to keep any under 8 inchs ( just a personal setting for us), fish were very aggressive and hammered everything in the water. We had 3 keeper fish in the box and got dinks on and off for a few more hours as the schools seemed to move shallower. Well about 10:30 they slowed and by 11:00 eastern time you couldn't buy a bite. 11:30 we pulled up and headed south to where the rest of the Derby guys were fishing in the Pump house are from 18 ft out to 40 ft were lots of boats.
We settled for the deeper water looking for just 1 bigger fish to win this Derby or maybe 2 bigger fish or 3 lol, you know how that goes. Some of the guys had a lot of fish, some friends had 31 in the box at the end but none big enough to win the Derby. Lots of fish taken EARLY it seems like as the bite south had slowed to and nothing but dinks.
1 PM we decided to make 1 last run north and try for that 1 big fish. We got there dropped are lines and nothing but a flat bottom and not even 1 red mark, we slow trolled at .01 to .02 towards earlier marks we had and nothing for a half hour but a dink every know and then so were thinking we may get 2nd place with our 10 1/2 incher if were lucky lol. So a few minutes later I hear fish on and oh man its got me doubled over and friend gets a nice 12 and 1/8 incher and a smaller one on a second pole so were pumped up again and a few minutes later boom he's doubled over again and its nice 13 1/4 inch fish. So water was flat most of the day with a slight wind in the afternoon, beautiful day. So we claimed $135 for the best 3 and biggest fish, 2nd place guys got it with a 12 1/2 inch fatty Perch. The Mich City and Mich State areas are doing well as of know so you know it doesn't last so if you can get out, enjoy it, water temp was 65, fathead minnows is what we used and seemed to work well.

Great job!

Yes great job the wife and I are going to try it Monday out of MC

Awesome!