LAKE BEMIDJI
Lake Bemidji is a great pike and walleye lake, but it also boasts a tremendous population of jumbo perch. Expert Brian Sathre loves to fish for perch on Bemidji throughout the winter, and he said if you can find the muck, you'll find the fish.

"There are some beautiful areas to fish by The Northwoods' access in 25 to 30 feet of water," hinted Sathre.

The rockpiles also have an abundance of nice perch up to 12 inches. The key with perch on Bemidji is that they are always moving, so you need to do the same.

"I'll run and gun in a general area until I pinpoint the areas they are relating to, then I'll set up the portable ice house," Sathre said.

The perch bite starts out good on deadsticks and jigs, but it really heats up once the midwinter wiggler hatch gets going.

"They get more aggressive and go after lures like a 1/16-ounce forage minnow or any style of jigging spoon," Sathre noted.

For more information, contact the Bemidji Visitor Bureau at 1-800-458-2223, or go to www.visitbemidji.com

CASS LAKE
Most people know Cass is a good lake for jumbo perch, but it's also home to some of the biggest bull bluegills around. Sathre said he thinks the Cass bluegills are a well-kept secret because they are so skittish. "The lake is pretty clear in the wintertime, and if there's no snow cover, they can be pretty tough to pin down," he said.

The key is to locate one of the nice points along the northern portion of the lake where there are plenty of green cabbage weeds. The bluegills tend to sit in 10 feet of water right in the cabbage. If they aren't there, and the ice is snow-free, slide out to the deeper breaklines.

"I'll use the underwater camera to locate them, drill six or seven holes and then let it sit for about 10 minutes," Sathre said. "When it's quieted down, I go back and drop down a No. 2 Ghost Grub, Creep Worm or Doodle Bug tipped with a wax worm or two."

For the best perch fishing, any of the nice humps on the south end in front of Cass Lake Lodge in 15 to 25 feet of water are good.