Johnson described the daily transition perch make and how to stay on top of the bite.

"The perch in Bowstring move up onto the reefs and sunken islands in the morning and feed on top of this structure," he said. "By 10 a.m., those fish are starting to move to the edge of that structure, and throughout the middle of the day the deep edges and even the clay and muck in the deep water is where those perch go. In late afternoon and evening, the perch often move back up on top of the structure."

Johnson spends a lot of time on Bowstring's north end.

"There are a bunch of small sunken islands there, and every one holds some nice perch."

For more information, call Frontier Sports at (218) 832-3901.

WHITE SAND LAKE
White Sand Lake in Crow Wing County is just west of Baxter and only a few minutes from Johnson's house. You may run into him there on a midweek evening as he sets up for the lowlight crappie bite. He'll be sitting on the hole on the south side of the lake in a one-person Fish Trap. If the wind isn't blowing, the top will be down and he'll appreciate it if you stop over and say hello.

"The crappies on this lake run three to a pound," he said. "They're not big, but there are plenty of them. "I catch about a dozen or so crappies in an hour and a half, depending on the bite, and keep a half-dozen to take home and fry up for supper. The fishing for crappies on White Sand is pretty dependable all season long."

Johnson prefers the wind blowing out of the north when he's fishing White Sand so he can face his portable shelter to the south.

"I like to set up a tip-up in 12 feet of water in the sparse coontail with a medium sucker minnow," he said. "It's a great place for pike."

For more information, call Lake and River Bait at (218) 829-0987.

PELICAN LAKE
There are many reasons Johnson enjoys fishing Pelican Lake in Grant County when the surface is solid. There are good populations of perch and walleyes. The crappies and sunfish are big. The perch are nice-sized on Pelican, and they bite all day once you find them.

"I usually find the perch on the points near deeper water and on the edges of the holes," said Johnson. "The lake isn't very deep to begin with, so when I say deeper water, I'm referring to those 15- to 20-foot sections."

Johnson can often be found on the south portion of the lake or on the point north of the island.

"I love this lake because you can set the hook three times on perch, and then that fourth hookset is a nice walleye that really bends the rod. If there's one drawback to this lake, it's that a spot can go from hot to cold pretty fast, so you might be moving more than you like. I don't mind moving to stay on the fish, so between pulling the shelter and drilling holes, I stay with the biting fish."

For more information, call Dahlen's Sport Shop at (218) 747-2901.

LAKE BELLE TAINE
There are plenty of great fishing lakes around Park Rapids, but Johnson's favorite winter haunt is Belle Taine. It's where he chases pike from morning until evening and then transitions to a crappie game plan at dusk.

"The coontail and grasses grow deep in this lake and the pike will be just inside the sparse growth where it starts to taper off in 15 to 18 feet of water," said Johnson. "This is where I look for pike with a tip-up and sucker minnow.