[{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/early-spring-river-fishing-tips-for-perch-and-walleye\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/early-spring-river-fishing-tips-for-perch-and-walleye\/","headline":"Early Spring River Fishing Tips for Perch and Walleye","name":"Early Spring River Fishing Tips for Perch and Walleye","description":"Catch big walleye and perch in rivers during the early spring season when you know the best areas to target and the right tricks for your rigging and tackle.","datePublished":"2017-03-28","dateModified":"2018-11-13","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/author\/hagosto\/#Person","name":"Hector Agosto","url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/author\/hagosto\/","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7bfedbdc5ef3ed8f8df91eb37e1ffbe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7bfedbdc5ef3ed8f8df91eb37e1ffbe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Legendary Whitetails","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"http:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/logo-legendary-whitetails.png","url":"http:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/logo-legendary-whitetails.png","width":522,"height":226}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/MG_9683.jpg","url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/MG_9683.jpg","height":675,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/early-spring-river-fishing-tips-for-perch-and-walleye\/","about":["Fishing"],"wordCount":1136,"keywords":["Fishing","Tips"],"articleBody":"It\u2019s that in-between time period when ice fishing is no longer safe and the fishing season has yet to begin. We have all encountered this if we are addicted to fishing and live in the upper Midwest. Likewise, there isn\u2019t much to hunt besides coyotes and some other small game species.\u00a0 So what do you do?\u00a0 Well the answer is simple \u2013 fish the rivers!Fishing the Mississippi RiverMany river systems keep walleye seasons open year-round and with generous limits.\u00a0 To top it off, our river systems usually don\u2019t freeze up completely and are often the first to shed their ice.\u00a0 As a word of caution, if you do plan on hitting the rivers you\u2019ll need to keep an eye out for chunks of backwater ice floating down the river.\u00a0 The floating ice masses can make navigating difficult and often times unsafe, but this period of time usually passes within a day or two depending on Mother Nature.During the months of March and April, you can bet the river systems gain a lot of attention from local walleye anglers.\u00a0 In recent years, jumbo perch have gained a lot of interest during early spring on the Mississippi river as well.\u00a0 Perch are considered to be a pan fish, which on the Mississippi river, the season doesn\u2019t close and possession limit is a healthy 25 per person.\u00a0 Perch are a close relative to Walleye, but don\u2019t get as big in their lifetime. \u00a0But when a perch gets as big as a football, you have any angler\u2019s attention!The author with a nice jumbo perch he caught on the Mississippi riverTarget AreasSo, how does a person go about catching them?\u00a0 One tip is to pattern them based on water temperatures.\u00a0 During the early spring after ice out, plant life is mostly non-existent, so oxygen levels within the water are depleted.\u00a0 The water is cold and fish know they need to feed as their spawning seasons are fast approaching.\u00a0 Schools of perch and walleye will stage up in bays that still hold some underwater plant life.\u00a0 The plant life equates to forage in the forms of various underwater bugs and small baitfish, as well as healthier\u00a0oxygen levels.\u00a0 As the water temperature creeps towards 40 degrees, perch and walleye can be found in slack water near heavier current areas.\u00a0 Dams are a perfect place for this because of the increased oxygen levels and stirred up water, which creates food for baitfish, which in turn are food for\u00a0perch and walleye.\u00a0 As the water continues to warm up, perch and walleye will stage in rocky and sandy bottoms\u00a0to spawn.Rigging & Tackle“The key to catching fish now lies in being able to get your bait to the bottom of the river.”One challenge that arises while fishing in heavier current is rigging and technique.\u00a0 I have found over the past couple years that having a sensitive spinning rod lined with a hi-visibility colored 30-pound braided line helps me feel the bite better.\u00a0 Because a river has very stained water, line color doesn\u2019t matter to me under the water, but it allows me to see it better from the boat or shore.\u00a0 I prefer a medium light rod for perch and walleye on the Mississippi river because we are usually jigging heavy jig heads or river rigs, sometimes over 1 oz. in weight.\u00a0 Finding jig heads or rigs can be a real challenge, as these are specialty setups for waters like the Mississippi river.\u00a0 A quick stop by a good local tackle shop will have them on hand and will answer any\u00a0questions you might have.Pictured above is a river rig setup – notice the trailer\/stinger hook placed in the crawler.The key to catching fish now lies in being able to get your bait to the bottom of the river.\u00a0 That\u2019s where experimenting and time on the water will pay off in the long run.\u00a0 In my Plano tackle bag, I carry trays of bucktail jigs, Rippin Shads, Puppet Minnows, lead jig heads, and pre-rigged river rigs.\u00a0 The heavier the current, the more weight it will take to get to the bottom.\u00a0 I often fish near the shorelines of the dam in slack current.\u00a0 Depending on how close you are to the dam itself, will determine how heavy of a jig head or river rig you will need.\u00a0 I tend to have more \u00be oz and 1 oz weights on my river rigs.\u00a0 Your needed weight will vary on your fishing location.\u00a0 You can easily make a river rig yourself with some 10-15 pound fluorocarbon line, a three-way swivel, weight, and hook or floating jig head.\u00a0 Top your hook off with a live minnow or night crawler with a trailer hook.\u00a0 Be sure to leave a tail for added action, but I have found a trailer hook helps tremendously with hooking percentages, especially during this time of year when fish are less aggressive.When fishing a river system, you never know what you will catch.\u00a0 Many fish species live in the Mississippi river, and feed on bait on the bottom.\u00a0 Just remember your bait, no matter what it may be, needs to get there.\u00a0 Whether you choose to fish from shore, from a boat, or from a fishing float located near many of the dams on\u00a0the Mississippi river, have fun and good luck!"},{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/#breadcrumbitem","name":"Legendary Whitetail's Blog"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/early-spring-river-fishing-tips-for-perch-and-walleye\/#breadcrumbitem","name":"Early Spring River Fishing Tips for Perch and Walleye"}}]}]