• You need to be a registered member of Barbel Fishing World to post on these forums. Some of the forums are hidden from non-members. Please refer to the instructions on the ‘Register’ page for details of how to join the new incarnation of BFW...

Perch

Derek Deards said:
Perch novice really, fish mainly rivers with access to the Ouse, Kennet and Loddon
Not sure what method/baits to try out, swims to try, please advise.
Click to expand...

on small rivers you wont beat chopped worm and maggot with half a lobworm on the hook tipped with a red maggot....unless you want to go the lure/deadbait/live bait route.

pole and bait dropper best method for hitting bites, then a buoyant float on rod and line then next if needs must a running bomb feeding with bait dropper and last resort chopped worm/maggot feeder

perch are similar to chub in liking structure and snags but don't like the flow as much. also as it gets colder deeper swims work best.
 
Derek
Get yourself down to Ufton. Far bank from Lock cut downwards.

Catch a few silvers. 3-4 ssg chubber size 6 hook.

Work your way down the many small slacks fishing right under the rod top holding back. Half a dozen maggots each minute upstream.
25mins per swim.

You"ll catch most days. There are some 4lbers.

Good Luck.
 
Ouse perch

Appreciate the tips chaps, had an afternoon on the Ouse and had a good session with fish up to a pound and half, lost a couple of larger, need to up the size of hook for the lob worms.
 
To the chaps out there that do a bit of live baiting, what is the best way you have found to hook them up? I was fishing a little lake yesterday for my first perch session of the autumn, and while I managed a new PB at 2lb 7oz (to be bettered again soon!) I did miss a lot of takes (which in this lake were quite possibly carp swimming through the line of my float paternoster, but am pretty sure at least one was a Perch).

I currently just lip hook with a size 2 super specialist. Does anyone use stinger trebles/singles down the flank etc? Seems a bit overkill on a 3-4'' roach/perch but maybe it would help?..

Any advice welcome. Thanks
 
Thanks chaps, maybe I was a little unlucky, or maybe they were all liners...I will give the lip hook more of a bash and in fact I have never noticed a particular problem with it before and have been doing it for perch this way since I started fishing.

The reason I am suddenly questioning it is I spent a lot of the summer live baiting joey mackerel for bass (which have pretty well exactly the same head as a perch, both being perciformes) and noticed that you get a better hook up ratio with a stinger treble toward the tail as opposed to just lip hooking them under the float.

I have also used circle hooks fairly extensively for bass and have found them to be very effective in certain situations, but utterly useless in others, unfortunately under a float is one of the times where I have found them to be useless, although I know they use them to great success under 'bobbers' for stripers in the states, but try as I might I could never get a good hook up ratio using them here, unless I was ledgering at close range, which is another story entirely.

It just got me questioning the way I was doing it the other night...and wondered how everyone else was doing it for starters!
 
Another thought maybe worth a try: because perch can be inclined to attack their prey from behind some anglers prefer to hook their livebaits in the root of the tail.
 
My experiences of actually watching perch take livebait is that they always take it head first.

I just wonder if the very large hook used meant the point was crossways to the mouth. As I said earlier, I have found a size 6 big enough for a large bleak LB.
 
Graham Elliott said:
My experiences of actually watching perch take livebait is that they always take it head first.

I just wonder if the very large hook used meant the point was crossways to the mouth. As I said earlier, I have found a size 6 big enough for a large bleak LB.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that Graham, I will certainly drop the hook size for my next session, this weekend hopefully:)
 
I changed to circle hooks a couple of years ago and hook ups have massively improved. Most of the time when using liveys (3-4") I tail hook bait on a free running paternoster using a size 1 or 1/0 mustad demon circle hook, tied on a loop.

I also use circle hooks (same pattern and tied on a loop) in a 6 or 4 for worms, majority of time strett pegging with a pin. I put float rod up in air and leave a decent size bow in the line, first sign of a bite I switch ratchet off and allow perch to take line, then just wind down and fish is generally hooked. (no more striking into thin air) :D

I was really quite skeptical at first using them, but tbh they have made a huge difference to the amount of hooked fish, so much so I wouldn't be without them now ;)
 
I don't doubt Grahams experience of perch taking livebaits head first. I think sometimes we argue because our experiences are different and we think our experience is the norm when others think their different experience is the norm! One of the addictive, frustrating and interesting aspects of angling is its inconsistency and the need to adapt. If you watch utube "Monster perch devour livebaits under water" you will see both head first and tail first feeding. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkWtenxbkIo.

Interestingly the angler uses circle hooks in the lip for the first time and really rates them. In one clip you can see the perch take a lip hooked bait and swim off with it with the tail outside the perch's mouth and therefore a tail hooked bait would fail. Other times perch take the baits tail first and in another clip the head of the livebait is outside the perch's mouth. Tail first hooking is just a different option if lip hooking does not seem to work effectively.
 
Hi Ian. Yes I had watched that a couple of times previously.

I had watched perch many times on the GU canal where the favourite spots were the back end of moored barges, especially where the v gap occured.

I can honestly say that although the mouth of the perch is serated it always seemed to grasp the fish taken and immediately turn it head first. Unlike pike whose teeth would hold the bait and often move off before turning it.

It was general practice to wait for a run to stop when using single treble lip hooked bait before striking.

In nature watching fish eating water birds they also seem to turn caught fish and eat headfirst as preference.

I consider perch probably do the same in by far the majority of cases. There will always be exceptions, especially when perch generally use mouth suction in the initial capture.
I guess if it will slip down straight away.

I tend to use smaller hooks as advised to allow perch to happily take head first. That was my initial point re hòok size (2) might prevent that happening.

Of course a hook in the tail would work if it is taken in the initial grab or down the throat.

I'm happy with my results with just the odd missed take. Then they usually have another go.

Perching tomorrow, alas no maggots in the tackle shop!:mad:
 
Ian. Interestingly one clear instance that would have led to a missed strike was due to the perch being unable to turn the fish apparently due to the hook size preventing it.
 
Been using Mustad Demon circle hooks in size 4 for fishing both lobworms and livebaits on my last two outings and not lost a fish, all hooked neatly in the scissors.
This one yesterday took a lip hooked 4" dace.
0mL2QfC.jpg
 
Lovely looking river fish Steve. Well done.

I popped down a local commercial that has given me good perch in the past. Mainly due to colder water in the rivers.

No livebaiting allowed so on the prawns. The 14ft Hardy did its job on the first few fish. One a spectacular muti coloured carp that had me walking 3 swims to net and around 18lb.
After the carp finally a couple of small perch followed by a much better 2lb1oz fish.

Quiet for a few hours apart from some 1lb plus roach and rudd and bigger bream/roach hybrids.

Just before dusk a bite that buried the crystal insert float and wasn't a carp. A welcome 3lb 3oz perch. 8oz less than my venue best.

A couple more carp followed then home for dinner.
 
Graham Elliott said:
Lovely looking river fish Steve. Well done.

I popped down a local commercial that has given me good perch in the past. Mainly due to colder water in the rivers.

No livebaiting allowed so on the prawns. The 14ft Hardy did its job on the first few fish. One a spectacular muti coloured carp that had me walking 3 swims to net and around 18lb.
After the carp finally a couple of small perch followed by a much better 2lb1oz fish.

Quiet for a few hours apart from some 1lb plus roach and rudd and bigger bream/roach hybrids.

Just before dusk a bite that buried the crystal insert float and wasn't a carp. A welcome 3lb 3oz perch. 8oz less than my venue best.

A couple more carp followed then home for dinner.
Click to expand...

Those Hardys are good aren’t they!
Sounds like you had a good day mate.
 
Yes. Great day Dave thanks mate.

The carp was on steroids. Just kept taking line on as hard a clutch as 6lb line would take. Usually get them in that size in 3 or so minutes. Took about 15!

Pleased with the perch. Back there end March when it opens again and they'll be bigger. Hopefully.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top