Have you ever seen a two pound perch? I have. That is a big perch. They are about 14 inches long or longer. There is a place we can go to catch one of these monsters. Lake Gogebic located in the beautiful Upper Peninsula of Michigan. During late ice, these behemoth creatures roam around looking for a place to deposit a belly full of eggs when the time is right.
We plan on getting there on Friday March 7th. Some of you may want to come early and I may be one of them. There is no fee for this event except for the lodging. In addition to the monster perch, we can also fish for Walleye, nice crappie, eater size perch, northern pike and whatever else finds our bait. I also found out that last summer the gills were huge here.
The thing with catching these teeter pig perch , is they are not really table fair. They are trophy fish. Great for taking a picture, collecting your Master Angler pin, and if you choose, to have one mounted. Remember replica mounts are also an option. Be prepared to pay for the mounting as that is not cheap. We encourage catch and release on these monsters. When we target this fish, its not fast and furious, we wait for the big ones to appear. In the mean time we catch smaller ones and other fish while we wait for the big one to come by. These massive perch get the name Teeter Pig because when you put them on their stomachs they don’t fall over, they just sit there. I didn’t believe it until I saw it with my own eyes.
Will be staying at Timbers Resort. The resort has a variety of cabins and they include everything. All we have to do it pack our food and fishing stuff. The owners of this resort, Tim and Sarah Long, have owned this place for five years. Tim is a fishing guide and a professional walleye angler and learned Lake Gogebic inside and out. He has formed a chapter of Walleyes for Tomorrow for that lake and they have been very active. Efforts have been underway to improve the fish habitat on that lake and the future looks great for years to come. One thing the walleye population depends on is a good number of perch to have as food. We are lucky to have him as a resource to get us pointed in the right direction. Check out the web site for Timbers Resort. After I reviewed the web site I thought that maybe we should be taking a summer trip there as well. The home page has a nice video on it so be sure to check it out.
One thing about fishing in the UP in the winter, you never know how much snow they will have. If you have a snowmobile be sure to take that. Atv travel is also possible but depending on the amount of snow it could be a problem. We will have up to the date information as to where the fish are holding. If you do not have transportation other club members can help you out. If you need any gear, remember we have a gear lending program and we can set up you. The resort does have permanent shacks available for rent and also has a shuttle service via snowmobile and utility vehicles. Contact them directly if you want to set that up.
We have four cabins reserved and can reserve another one if need be. The cost for the cabin is $40 per night per person. We are offering a two day stay, with additional days available on both ends of the trip. As always, must be a member to attend. Registration will open soon. Please note, when you look at the map, it appears as if the resort is not on the lake. It is on the water and the map did not place the pin in the correct position. Also Bergland MI is in the Eastern Time Zone.