Simcoe Perch, Line choice

What lb test are you guys using for perch ? Are you using a fluorocarbon leader ? I’m sitting here sorting through my ice gear and don’t really have a rod setup for perch.
Cheers

IMO and in practice I feel it's all about the fluorocarbon leader. I run between 10 and 20 braid on my reels but adjust the leader poundage accordingly to species I'm targeting. I swap reels to a variety of rods so look for versatility.
As for the flourocarbon I use anything from 2-6# when perching. For predators I use 10 & 12# for the most part. I just noted this morning that I was using 6# & 4.4# on Friday and did equally as well with the perch. When it's February blues I'll tie on the 2#. I used to use a 1# that was basically invisible but I'd snap my line setting on jumbos too often, plus I could barely see it to tie it. (Fact check: more the latter than the former)

3lb fluro line. Id use 2lb if I could ever find it locally.

Hate braid in the winter hut or not.
Mono has too much stretch and is more visible then fluro.

The line for Jumo’s does not have to be light. I really specialize on winter jumbos and I never use leader lighter than 8lb floro. I started with 4lb but had to many huge perch chomp down so hard on slab grabber that I didn’t get a good hook set with 4lb. Changed to heavier leader a decade ago and will never go back.

I think it's a matter of what bait you are using. Personally I line up some of my reels with 4lb pline floroclear copolymer with a 4lb fluorocarbon leader for my deadstick setups with my hand painted epoxy tungsten Teardrop jigs and handmade bugs. I usually fish 20-40 fow. I can still feel the bait down even deeper. For jigging you could go a bit heavier but even my lake trout rods are only 8lb with 8lb fluorocarbon leader.
The perch Gobble these up all season. Lakers like them too!

I am with you on this one.


also have tried 3, 5 and 6.....no thanks 8-10 and no difference in numbers from what I have experienced, but signicant more hookups with stuff like slab grabbers and the like.

I generally don't use micro stuff.........too many dinks

I am using a 4 lbs suffix main and 2 lbs Seagur leader material with #12 hooks.

Arnie

Some great input guys. Thanks
Cheers

4lb flouro fresh every ice season drag set light so those jumbos scream line like a salmon on 40lb

4# flouro for perch on ultra light to medium-light rods with fast tips (depending on the bait being used... micro bugs on the ultra light or light action, jigs and 2-hook set-ups on medium-light).

There are some parts of the season when the biggest fish are hitting with the slightest lift bites on micro gear and I'd miss a lot of fish without on ultra light set up; sometimes the bite is no more than that rod tip rising ever so slightly, or just the tension coming out of the line for a split moment. Of course other days a jigging rap never even reaches bottom before it's engulfed by a hungry perch and any line/rod combo will do.

I do the same as Disco and Longshank with line and leader weight for perch and agree with SS77 regarding using lighter lures. The lighter and smaller the lure, the lighter the line and leader I usually use but as was said, micro lures also increase chances of getting too many dinks (unless you sight fish and can avoid the dinks). I haven't found a lack of jumbos with heavier line, have lost fewer to broken line or leader but you do get fewer bites (mostly because the dinks find it harder to chomp down on larger baits). Also fishing outside in sub-zero temps, the heavier line will break less when you pull out the line using your hand. But there is a part of the season when the bite slows down and a micro can help get a few more bites and that is when lighter lines/leaders will be needed. Most of the time, they are perch....and will bite almost anything regardless of gear.

Like others I don’t go overly light. I use 10lb main line braid to a 6lb floro leader on a medium light rod.

...and there seems to be an increasing number of pike in some perch grounds so having heavier line gives a better chance of landing a pike that takes your lure. They can still go through the leader but a decent sized pike will almost certainly go through very light leaders.

I had to respool a couple rods this week and decided to go wth 4# on one and 6# on the other. Same brand/type of line, same rod (Ugly Stick 28" Medium). I already had an US Ultra Light tied with 4# for soft bite days. The jigs are pretty much the same weight on all three.
Will be curious to see the difference, if any.

Also, I can't believe I waited so long to build a spool holder. So much better!