Perch fishing can be hit or miss depending on the year and what part of the lake you are fishing. In some parts of the Lake of the Woods, you will hear about anglers running into a school of big perch and they will catch a mess of them. You will also see many other reports of anglers catching lots of walleye, smallmouth bass, northern pike with no perch at all. Early in the season, you can definitely find perch easier as these fish will move into the bays and they love hanging around the green weeds. Once the summer patterns set in, perch can be quite challenging to find. The deeper weeds are good spots to fish for them. If you have good electronics, you may be able to find some of the deep water schools of perch more easily.
We have set up different websites for all the popular regions on Lake of the Woods. Take a look below to learn more about the fishing in the different parts of Lake of the Woods.
Lake of the Woods Kenora, Ontario – Perch Fishing
The Kenora section on Lake of the Woods can provide some good perch fishing. They are definitely secondary here to smallmouth bass, pike and walleye, but there are some perch in the area and if you can find the schools of them, you can put a lot of fish in the boat. In many of the areas though, you are going to find smallmouth bass and walleye. Fish the weed beds that you can find and don’t rule out the rocky shorelines and offshore structure. You may have to do some searching to find the schools of perch, but when you do, you can catch some quality perch here.
Lake of the Woods Morson, Ontario – Perch Fishing
Perch are secondary and most anglers that catch them will do so while targeting walleye with live bait. Some anglers target them early in the year when they move into the bays in large numbers. There are some nice perch in this lake, but you may have to work a little to find them.
Lake of the Woods Nestor Falls, Ontario – Perch Fishing
The perch fishing can be good early in the year as they move into the shallower bays with vegetation. This is probably the best time to target them because they are easier to find. Many anglers will report catching perch while walleye fishing. Most anglers come here to target walleye, pike or bass, so perch aren’t the main target here. However, if you want to target them, you can catch some perch and some nice perch are available.
Lake of the Woods Sioux Narrows, Ontario – Perch Fishing
Perch can be found and caught here pretty easily in the spring as they move into the shallows to spawn. Fish the weeds in the bays and you should be able to catch some perch. As perch move into deeper water in the summer, the fishing can be tougher for the bigger, jumbo-sized perch. If you can find them in deeper water in the summer and fall, you may end up catching a bunch of them because they typically school up in pretty good numbers. Most anglers will catch perch while targeting walleye or smallmouth bass when fishing with live bait. If you want to target them though, you should be able to catch some fish, but you may have to put a little work in to find them.
Lake of the Woods Northwest Angle – Perch Fishing
Perch are definitely secondary here on Lake of the Woods in the Northwest Angle area. Anglers usually catch these fish while targeting walleye or crappie here. If you find a school of perch, you may be able to catch some jumbo sized fish. Some anglers do target them and have success, but it is definitely more of a walleye lake than perch lake. Try fishing the weeds early in the year and then around the offshore structure later in the year.
Lake of the Woods South Shore – Perch Fishing
Perch can be found in good numbers on the south shore of Lake of the Woods. Walleye are king here and they should be, but the perch are mixed in here too. Some anglers target them specifically, but for the most part, anglers will catch perch while targeting walleye. There are some jumbo perch here too, so don’t be shocked if you run into some fish up to and above 12 inches long.
