Trolling, still fishing with a live minnow or frog, or spincasting with plugs, spinners or spoons all produce good results. It also inhabits large lakes, where it is most abundant in sheltered bays. A horned pout prefers a mud bottom, but does well with or without vegetative growth. It is a hardy fish and can survive extreme conditions that cause other fish to perish, such as water temperatures of 90 degrees and oxygen levels as low as one part per million. The horned pout can be caught by any angler, skilled or unskilled, using most any type of tackle.
Earthworms are probably the most common bait.
Live minnows, crayfish, corn kernels, hellgrammites and dough balls are also good, if fished near the bottom. Fishing in the evening, at night or early morning hours is usually best. The white perch is a determined fighter when hooked, and is one of our tastier and more popular panfishes. White perch fishing is best at dusk, when schools of feeding fish tend to move into shallow water near shore. This fish, unfortunately, often becomes overcrowded and stunted in fresh water.