Above & Beyond Insider Perspectives on Select Topics, Unique Situations, and Key Fishing Options By Matt Straw and Doug Stange WORLD CLASS PERCH "WORLD Class Perch," the title of an article scheduled for this issue had been on our planning sheets for over a year. It doesn't appear, however, because right now, North America has few world-class perch lakes. Certainly, many lakes can still be good: Devil's Lake, North Dakota; Lake Poinsette, South Dakota; Mille Lacs Lake, Leech Lake, and Lake Winnibigoshish, Minnesota; Spirit Lake, Iowa; Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron, Michigan; and many smaller lakes across North America that couldn't withstand the fishing pressure following identifying them nationally. Only Lake Simcoe, some 30 minutes north of Toronto, survives as a world-class destination beyond debate. According to Wil Wegman of amBASSador Angling Services, 280 square mile Simcoe remains so productive that a 200-perch day is common. Twelve-inchers are common, too, and a few two-pound fish are caught each winter. Then, too, most local anglers don't appreciate perch, preferring to fish for other species. Whitefish up to eight pounds also are present. Wegman: "On the portion of the lake on the east side of Georgina and Brock Townships, the fish are shallow at first-ice, drop slightly deeper during mid-season, then slide shallow again at late-ice. The same general pattern applies on the west side of the lake, in spots like Cook's Bay and up through Innisfil Township. Deeper in the west portion of the lake, though, might be 50 feet, while deep in the east is 30." Spreader rigs are popular among local anglers, but jigging with spoons (þash lures) and swimming jigs like the Jigging Rapala are effective most of the time. When the fishing turns more difficult, anglers switch to jigs tipped with minnows. Guides: Leon Maloney, 705/733-6445; Steve Vendraminetto, 707/436-3576. Accommodations: Choose a nearby Chamber of Commerce and call. Doug Stange NEW BLADES AUGER WELL ICE augers never have cut as quickly and cleanly as they do today. The Strike Master Lazer series depends on blades from Sweden. "Our augers are made in America, but Swedish blades are the best," according to Ray Peterson, of Strike Master. "The Swedes discovered that a specific blade angle cuts much faster. We applied these blades and ran tests. The Lazer cut holes twice as fast as any other blade, ours included." Last year, Strike Master (612/263-8999) introduced the Lazer XL-3000 (3 horsepower head with total weight of 31 pounds), the fourth in the Lazer Series. Preceding it was the Lazer Hand Auger, the Lazer Mag (2 hp, 23 pounds), and the Electra Lazer. The Electra Lazer is possible because of the Lazer blades. "It's a little slower," Peterson said. "But it draws only 8 to 10 amps, and it's much lighter (18 pounds) than a gas auger. A lawn-tractor battery powers about 20 holes; a deep-cell battery cuts 40." Meanwhile, Feldmann Engineering, makers of Jiffy Ice Drills (800/344-0712), uses a robotic welding system to dramatically improve the cutting speed of Jiffy power augers and hand drills. "They cut faster because we can optimize the rate of cut with a precise angle afforded by the robotic welding technology," explains Dan Redman, of Feldmann. "Normal hand-welds didn't allow the kind of precision that optimizes engine torque." This year's Jiffy Fire Power drills available in 7-, 8-, 9-, and 10-inch models have been re-engineered to use engine torque with a new 12:1 high-speed gear box. The new drills are equipped with stabilizing pilot-point guidance systems and a durable set of chipper teeth. Jiffy uses D-Ice'r Armor, a TEFLON coating that keeps ice from building up on plates and blades. This allows smoother cutting. "Our chipper-tooth blade is the key to the system," Redman adds. "Even after the blade dulls, it cuts quicker than other blade styles because of the high rotation speed and design. It chips rather than slices--even a dull ice pick works quicker than a knife." Matt Straw STREAM TROUT ON ICE BROOK trout, browns, rainbows, and cutthroats inhabit thousands of natural lakes, including the Great Lakes, and mountaintops from Maine to Washington to Alaska. They also thrive in many reservoirs. Ice-fishing for trout provides an overlooked opportunity in most areas. As cold-water fish, trout thrive under the ice. And, oddly enough, trout prefer to feed in shallow water in winter--just the opposite of their summer preferences. The "reversal principle" allows various species to switch habitats throughout the year, preventing competition for the same forage at the same time. In winter, panfish often go deep while trout move shallow. In summer, they switch places. One key to trout location in natural lakes is finding the largest shallow flats. But the real key is food production. Bays and shoreline flats with a soft, sandy bottom or a variety of substrates are best for nymphs and larvae. Prime depths are 4 to 8 feet, unless no flats exist at those depths. Trout feed deeper, too, but when they do, it often occurs just past the lip of the first major drop leading to these shallow flats. Similar distribution occurs in reservoirs and in the Great Lakes, but shallow flats can be so vast that location becomes difficult. Trout tend to cruise, so unless some definite piece of structure exists to hold them, they could be anywhere. Where trout populations are large, drop your lines and the fish will come to you. Mobility often is a negative when fishing for shallow trout, since activity spooks them. Drill all your holes early--before sunrise. Scatter them all over a flat and along the lip of the drop where the deepest water approaches closest to the flat. Trout rise from deeper adjacent flats at dawn, feed for several hours (well after noon on cloudy days), then drop back down. They return in the evening, and some continue feeding through the night. The best bait in natural lakes often is a live nymph. Stonefly and mayfly nymphs (where available) are best. Use light line (2- to 4-pound test), thin wire hooks (or tiny 1/125 to 1/80-ounce jigs), and one tiny split shot 18 inches above the bait. Suspend the rig about halfway to bottom. Let it sit, allowing the delicate bait to swim and attract. In the Great Lakes and in larger reservoirs, minnows tend to be a key bait. Use jigs in the 1/64- to 1/8-ounce range, depending on depth and the size of the bait. Lip-hook or reverse-hook the minnow. Maggots, wax worms, mousies, and poppers (large maggots) also work well on tiny jigs. Matt Straw Copyright 1997 In-Fisherman, Inc.