The Pikers Pit

I don't fish for them myself... but why does there seem to be so many big perch these days?

Is it,
A) Because they got over the disease.
B) Because more anglers are fishing for them, and with new methods such as drop shotting.
C) Some other reason.


Thanks.
John.

greencard1 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 17 2024 06:49 -

I don't fish for them myself... but why does there seem to be so many big perch these days?

Is it,
A) Because they got over the disease.
B) Because more anglers are fishing for them, and with new methods such as drop shotting.
C) Some other reason.


Thanks.
John.

Heavily cropped photo as it's faded and fooked. My first over 3lb, weighing in at 3.8oz. 23 years ago now, on a lob worm. I was Barbel fishing and noticed some Minnows scattering under my feet, set up another rod. Cadged a worm and caught the above.

I still recall when it came up, my legs went. They really did, my a**e hole fell out. Over the years I've stopped taking photos of 3lb Perch on lures along my rivers, as there are an abundance. Cray fish infested waters, biggest at 4.2.

I'm not sure about the big AW Ressies, recaptures, how many big fish there are. I'm wondering when the bubble will burst, if it does. But on my rivers the Crays have helped. At the possible detremet of silver fish etc.

I guess post the impact of perch disease we've seen them return in numbers. Crayfish abundance no doubt helps couple with loads more people lure fishing so more likely to be caught.

commercials ......

They don't get anything like that size in ireland. A 3lb fish is a fish of a season for many seasoned lure anglers over here. We don't have signals, but have indigenous crays in some lakes and rivers here and plenty of small prey fish. There are a lot of good anglers fishing for perch too.

Thanks folks.
Forgive my ignorance...crays important because perch eat them, or because crays eat silvers eggs so the perch have little competition for food?
Or both?

greencard1 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 17 2024 21:07 -

Thanks folks.
Forgive my ignorance...crays important because perch eat them, or because crays eat silvers eggs so the perch have little competition for food?
Or both?

The perch eat the crayfish hi protein so grow big same with the chub
Plus commercial fisheries plent of stunted silver fish match anglers fishing pellets for carp perch left to do what they please that’s my take on it all

Thanks Lee.

Masses of food available, Zebra Mussels, Quogga Mussels and Crayfish together with massive baitfish shoals

The silvers in commercials is a good point - my local hole in the ground us rammed with them and does some massive perch. I guess the perch don't get caught much as most use pellets/corn/meat which may help

Ian Crook wrote: ↑Sun Feb 18 2024 23:16 -

Masses of food available, Zebra Mussels, Quogga Mussels and Crayfish together with massive baitfish shoals

The only thing missing from that equation here in Ireland are signal crays. No shortage of baitfish shoals here, of all sizes. Some shoals can be 1,000m long, 2-300m wide, and 4 m deep! Massive clouds of fry over deep water in winter, then turn the shallows black in summer. Literally, hundreds of millions.
But a nice perch is 1 lb, a really good one is 2lb, and a 3 lb, well, the stuff of dreams.... But you can catch half-pounders like Mackerel, i kid you not. Wet fly fishing for trout with a team of flies, or epoxies, 3 perch every chuck in some spots I guess it might be genetic, could there be another reason? Or signal crays!

I’ve no real experience with big reservoir perch (only small fish) but I’ve had a few 3 pounders from several small stillwaters in Wales, best 3-11. These contain no crays/signals. The common factor is no pike! I was brought up in Ireland and my best perch there (by a long way) was 2lb. My impression is that in ‘naturual’ waters perch attain higher weights where they are the top predator?

Interesting stuff Fordey and Dave.

I think Richard Walker said "A big Perch is the biggest fish of all."

There are mammoth perch in loads of UK natural waters, by mammoth I mean 5lb plus

3 UK Rivers, 2 English Lakes in addition to 4 reservoirs, at least 2 Scottish lochs and potentially 2 Welsh lakes

There are plenty of pike and only a few crayfish in the river Trent but there are plenty of 3lb plus perch .The massive shoals of Gudgeon from my youth have all but vanished (eaten by perch) . The banning of suspended solids being pumped in to the river have resulted in a much clearer river and all the sight feeding predators have boomed . these fish were always present but they never grew very big my local stretch is now having a grayling revival

So that is where the Gudgeon went. I was wondering.

greencard1 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 23 2024 06:24 -

I think Richard Walker said "A big Perch is the biggest fish of all."

That's brilliant

Dave R wrote: ↑Fri Feb 23 2024 00:55 -

I’ve no real experience with big reservoir perch (only small fish) but I’ve had a few 3 pounders from several small stillwaters in Wales, best 3-11. These contain no crays/signals. The common factor is no pike! I was brought up in Ireland and my best perch there (by a long way) was 2lb. My impression is that in ‘naturual’ waters perch attain higher weights where they are the top predator?

That's a really interesting take Dave, you might be on to something. There was ONE water in Ireland that produced massive perch, Paul Byrne of IPS had them to over 5 lbs in the mid-90's. A small pond, the only two species were Rudd and perch, + a handful of eels...

I remember that place Ian. In kildare ? Always wondered if there were a few still knocking about.
There's a lake on the sligo mayo border I've been meaning to go back to. Only has trout, char and perch. I heard from an ifi officer it held good perch. It is full of natural crays, and no pike. Also a rainbow lake with no pike too.

Fordey wrote: ↑Fri Feb 23 2024 21:48 -

Dave R wrote: ↑Fri Feb 23 2024 00:55 -

I’ve no real experience with big reservoir perch (only small fish) but I’ve had a few 3 pounders from several small stillwaters in Wales, best 3-11. These contain no crays/signals. The common factor is no pike! I was brought up in Ireland and my best perch there (by a long way) was 2lb. My impression is that in ‘naturual’ waters perch attain higher weights where they are the top predator?

That's a really interesting take Dave, you might be on to something. There was ONE water in Ireland that produced massive perch, Paul Byrne of IPS had them to over 5 lbs in the mid-90's. A small pond, the only two species were Rudd and perch, + a handful of eels...

That’s only my, admittedly limited experience with perch. The three best big perch waters I’m aware of in my area don’t contain pike. The lakes/reservoirs that do contain pike are full of 3-12oz perch; you hear of rare big perch but I haven’t seen any. I also know a very small farm pond that’s produced a number of 4 pounders.

I know the southern reservoirs produce huge hauls of very big perch, along with zander, pike and trout. Maybe there’s something fundamentally different about these ecosystems, possibly related to the stocking of trout and/or invasive species such as crays?

bencarvosso wrote: ↑Fri Feb 23 2024 23:09 -

I remember that place Ian. In kildare ? Always wondered if there were a few still knocking about.
There's a lake on the sligo mayo border I've been meaning to go back to. Only has trout, char and perch. I heard from an ifi officer it held good perch. It is full of natural crays, and no pike. Also a rainbow lake with no pike too.

Yep Ben that's the one! Totally silted up now, such a shame. Oh yeah you can DM that lake in Layo, for em, scientific purposes of course

Not the biggest but my new pb 2lb8oz today

And I also bumped into Brian scholes what a lovely gent
Showed me a bumped 5 fish haul he had in 5 consecutive casts

whitey79 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 24 2024 19:47 -

IMG_5627.jpeg

Not the biggest but my new pb 2lb8oz today

And I also bumped into Brian scholes what a lovely gent
Showed me a bumped 5 fish haul he had in 5 consecutive casts

Well done, it's easy to get blase about decent-sized Perch in the south.

Monts wrote: ↑Sun Feb 25 2024 18:10 -

whitey79 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 24 2024 19:47 -

IMG_5627.jpeg

Not the biggest but my new pb 2lb8oz today

And I also bumped into Brian scholes what a lovely gent
Showed me a bumped 5 fish haul he had in 5 consecutive casts

Well done, it's easy to get blase about decent-sized Perch in the south.

Thanks monts the target was at least 2lb8oz and it was on the button I will be back to target them again

whitey79 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 24 2024 19:47 -

IMG_5627.jpeg

Not the biggest but my new pb 2lb8oz today

And I also bumped into Brian scholes what a lovely gent
Showed me a bumped 5 fish haul he had in 5 consecutive casts

Cracking looking fish. Well done. Can’t beat a big perch for me. I’ve not caught anything monstrous yet, but all of my decent sized ones came to small bleak live baits.

Jack

Jack H wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26 2024 21:32 -

whitey79 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 24 2024 19:47 -

IMG_5627.jpeg

Not the biggest but my new pb 2lb8oz today

And I also bumped into Brian scholes what a lovely gent
Showed me a bumped 5 fish haul he had in 5 consecutive casts

Cracking looking fish. Well done. Can’t beat a big perch for me. I’ve not caught anything monstrous yet, but all of my decent sized ones came to small bleak live baits.

Jack

Thanks jack would have liked to have live baited but was unsure on the rules and how strict they was with them but think next time I might accidentally hook a small roach I didn’t see

They only count on lure or fly!!

Ian Crook wrote: ↑Thu Feb 29 2024 22:29 -

They only count on lure or fly!!

I can’t catch fish never mind blue bottles

wtf