Big perch on Åland: why early spring is the time
If you want big perch on Åland, early spring is in my experience the time to go after them: from ice-out until June. The large perch hunt alone in shallow bays about 2 metres deep, where last year's dead weed still lies on the bottom. My first choice for them is a 10–15 cm suspending minnow-type jerkbait.
At a glance
When: from ice-out to June.
Where: shallow bays around 2 m deep, often with a flat bottom and last year's dead weed; channel mouths, underwater humps, soft-bottomed patches.
What: a 10–15 cm suspending minnow-type jerkbait; soft plastics work too, but are harder going.
Why: big perch hunt alone in spring, away from the herring shoals where the small ones gather.
A perch is always feeding, so where is it?
To my mind, the perch, and the big perch especially, is a real sporting fish and anything but easy to catch. On a day when they bite, it feels as though nothing could be easier. On a day when they don't, out come the explanations: it came off, it's too early, too cold, and so on.
Yet we know that perch feed almost all the time, especially when it's cold. So if one day it is easy and the next it isn't, does that simply mean we haven't found the fish? I think so.
Baltic herring, smelt and the trouble with following shoals
Every water has its own character, and Åland is no exception. Here the perch's main food is Baltic herring and smelt, both very seasonal fish. Perch eat roach too, of course, but as I see it, the open-water shoal fish are what they really live on.
So find the herring and the perch will be nearby? Perhaps. Usually, though, they are small, and not many of them. Where are the big ones?
Near the herring, in my experience, you'll only catch big perch on live bait, or at the very end of the season, when the dense herring shoals break up into small groups. And, strange as it sounds, in the feeding frenzies under diving gulls. That is pure luck, mind you: under the gulls there may be nothing but small fish.
Big perch in spring: ice-out to June
For me, the main time to hunt big perch is spring, from the moment the ice melts until June.
Where to look
Typical spots at this time are shallow bays around 2 metres deep, often with a flat bottom and dead vegetation. Channel entrances, underwater humps and stretches of soft bottom are worth trying too, but the key is last year's weed. Perhaps the weed itself isn't the reason, but it is a good sign that a spot is worth fishing.
Pike hold in the same places at this time of year. In fact, a big perch in spring hunts on its own, much as a pike does.
What to throw
My main weapon is a hard lure of 10 to 15 cm, ideally a suspending minnow such as the Rudra in the photo, or something similar. Soft plastics on the usual rigs will work as well, but they are a little harder going here; with a jerkbait it is simpler.
A short note, not a manual
In this short piece I didn't set out to write the definitive guide to perch fishing. I simply wanted to share my view: if big perch are what you're after, early spring is exactly the right time.
We fish these bays from our boats every spring, and you can release your perch or keep a couple for supper, as you prefer. Our packages and prices are on the site, or write to me and I'll suggest spring dates. See you on the water.
Read next: pike lures for Åland, ranked, and Åland fishing in June, when perch feed at every depth.
