I'm far from experienced in winter fishing for perch, but I did come up with a couple of techniques when I lived in Spokane that produced through the ice and in open water both.

The key, I found was two part: find structure and then find the fish. Once you find schools of fish on your depthfinder, slowly, and I mean slowly, move or drift with a slip sinker rig and a small piece of perch meat on a hook.

If that fails, then I would try this: anchor your boat at both ends directly over the school or structure so that you're locked in place like you're ice fishing. Take a smallish jig head with no body and thread on a couple of Berkley's Power Bait crappie nibbles. Drop the jig to the bottom, and take up the slack in your line to the point that you just feel the weight of the jig. Then wait. If there are perch in the area, they will move to the milking crappie nibble and pick up the bait ever so gently. I learned this ice fishing on the Potholes and then tested it in Minnesota. The technique worked better than anything else when the perch weren't snapping.

Probably the dead-stick presentation was or is more important than the bait you use. Maggots are great as are meal worms and a small section of nightcrawler. This time of the year, I think small works better than big in the bait department, but that could just be my prejudice.

If you anchor, you might also try some of the ice flies dropped straight down. And perch eyes make a great bait.

Good luck, and please post your results.