28

sports

Herald & lantern 30 November '83

outdoors

with Lou Rodia

Perch Fishermen Are Hardy Breed Apart

Every year, hundreds of anglers champ at the bit until the winter weather gets severe enough to cause the ice on the Mullica River to freeze solid enough to allow them to walk out on the ice to fish for white perch. It takes a protracted spell of weather at well below freezing to freeze the water on Collins Cove because at that point in the Mullica River, the water is still salty. While the cove is often frozen much as eight to 12 inches thick, the water in the main channel does not freeze. Jt is an eerie feeling to Be on the ice when a boat goes up or down the river, causing the ice to undulate as the wake from the boat moves the water beneath the sheets of

ATTENTjOj* S HOPPgBS!

Moonlight Madness Strikes Staller’s Again.

Save 25% * Most everything In their store for 1 night only! Friday, December 2, 1983 (7 p.m. to 10 p.m.) 25% Off: All Christmas decorations, artificial trees, lights, ornaments, etc. 25% Off: Ali toys including Fisher-Price, Mattel, Atari, Intellivision, Milton Bradley, etc. 25% Off: All tools, and most everything Staller's sells, except sale items and major appliances. Don’t forget: MoonLight Madness Strikes Staller’s 1 Night Only. Friday, December 2 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. So don’t miss their mad savings. All purchases strictly cash and carry! $10 minimum purchase. All prices and sales final. [

m l STALLER'S HARDWARE 1_

S 1 T S P W/l a ..An. a A VAV ■ I ri.. ■ / COO . 1 A ^

135 E. Wildwood Avenue Wildwood (522-1488)

ice. It is strange, too, because the tide goes in and out and the ice of course, goes up and down with the tide. What compels anglers to get out in bitter cold weather to fish for perch? Having been there, I have to suggest that those of us who do fish in that kind of weather and under those conditions must really enjoy the out of doors an awful lot. Sure, white perch are a fine eating fish, especially when taken frdm cold water. The cold water does .slow down the metabolism of the fish so they are not that much a fighter ALL WE CAN suggest is that white perch are fun to catch, good eating and you do meet some interesting people when you ice fish on Collins Cove. The cove, incidentally, is located just west of the Garden State Parkway bridge over the Mullica River just beyond Mile Marker 48. If you pass over the bridge in the fall, winter and spring and see boats fishing in the cove, the chances are they are trying to catch perch, although a few rockfish are caught there. If there is ice on the cove, you will see knots of fishermen gathered around holes cut into the ice keeping a close eye on the bobber or the rod tip to see if a perch has come along to take the bait. The experienced Collins Cove angler knows just about where the deep hole is located. That hole was dredged out when the Garden State Parkway was built and fill was needed to build the overpasses. Perch will gather in a layer sometimes several feet thick in a particular area somewhere between the surface and the bottom. A few anglers have portable depth finders and use them through the ice to locate schools of perch. WHEN YOU STAKE out an area for perch fishing through the ice, you’ll need an ice auger to cut holes to fish through. An axe will work but it is tough chopping and somewhat noisy. Perch pros get upset with overly enthusiastic axe wielders on the premise that they scare the perch. Ice augers are not too expensive if you stay with the hand-powered ones. If you’re a little more sophisticated and want to do it the easy way, purchase a power auger and let the internal combustion engine do the work for you. Drill five or six holes about three or four feet apart. That’s about as many as you can tend by yourself. Ice fishermen carry some kind of kitchen spoon or dipper with holes in it to strain out the ice flakes after the holds are drilled. Keep the holes somewhere between six or eight inches in diameter and make sure the sides of the hole are straight up and down all through the ice. Don’t make holes that are too big. They are dangerous in case you step into one. Best baits for winter perch through the ice are •ws --ass

shrimp. Live bate works better, if you can locate any. When perch . fishing from a boat or from the shore, a light spinning rod works fine. Small spinners and spoons work best. We've caught a lot of white perch in and around Toms River in the spring on Mepps spinners and CP Swings. White or yellow dressing on the hooks has been most productive for us. WHEN BAIT fishing, use a bobber and some split shot to keep the bait down where the fish are feeding. Small, short shanked hooks are good. From now until the ice forms, and as long as they are available bloodworms make a good white perch bait. The first and best reports we have received on white perch so far have been the schools of white perch which have invaded Nacote Creek at Absecon. Check in at Chestnut Neck Boat Yard and ask Nuncie Bruno where the fish are being caught, what they are hitting on and what the best baits are. Take along a couple of light or ultra light spinning rods for the early action. When the ice comes in, fish for perch with tip-ups or with short rods made up especially for ice fishing. Mono line (six to 10 lb test) is best. If you do get talked into trying perch fishing, make sure that you dress warmly. Dress in layers so you can remove the extra clothes if the air heats up. Be sure you have good, warm, insulated boots on your feet. If your feet are cold, you just never seem to get warm anywhere else, we’ve found. A wind screen of some kind helps. We’ve made them from plastic sheeting (the kind that’s a little thicker than trash bag material). WE HAVE ALSO seen elaborate plywood boxes built with sled runners and dragged out on the ice. A sled helps carry your paraphernalia out on the 'ce. Remember that what ever you take out on the ice has to be hauled back, along with the peach that you catch. We like fishing the buddy system because it helps share the toting. If you have to make more a than one trip to the car, one l - can watch your catch and the tackle while the other shuttles the gear back and forth. Keeping your ears warm can be accomplished with a scarf or a hood. Hands get cold, so we suggest taking along a couple of pairs of gloves in case one pair gets wet. We’ve fished for years with those cheap cotton gloves. We remove the index finger and the thumb. It allows us to work with our tackle and even if the gloves get wet, they still seem to keep our hands warm. Take along a lunch and a thermos of coffee or hot soup. If you have enough help you can take a charcoal grill or some cooking utensils and a Coleman stove so you can have an on-the-ice cook out featuring fresh perch. Take along some hot dogs and some < p ape 29 Please)