Perch Talk.

If you want to discuss Catfish, Perch, Zander, Ferox Trout or Eels, this is the place for you
piker66
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Perch Talk.

Post by piker66 »

Been a bit quiet on the forum recently re: perch fishing. There must be other keen perchers out there, surely ! How's yer season going ? Any good ones ? Any perch talk/ perch b@llocks ?
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Mike J
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Re: Perch Talk.

Post by Mike J »

Yes, I tried patting minnows for Perch.
And caught a Pike!
On what fun in a big weirpool on 5lb line :roll:

Tried worms and caught Chub.
Tried small spinners and caught.....


Pike, again!

Advice on how to catch Perch and only Perch will be gratefully received.
Last edited by Mike J on Mon Dec 10 2018 11:57, edited 1 time in total.
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Bob Watson
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Re: Perch Talk.

Post by Bob Watson »

My last few sessions have been for perch, caught every time but nothing over about 10oz.

I've been trying a couple of waters that reportedly have no pike, one definitely not, so should be a good chance of a decent perch.

I've tried worm and caught every time on it, prawn with no success and tiny sprats after getting wiped out by something bigger which I believe was a pike in a water with none in, so that place will be getting some attention soon :wink:
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Re: Perch Talk.

Post by Fish on.... »

I’m planning on giving the perch a good bash this year. Do you guys fish all through the winter for them?
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Re: Perch Talk.

Post by Will Smith »

Mike J wrote: Mon Nov 12 2018 19:09 -
Yes, I tried patting minnows for Perch.
And caught a Pike!
On what fun in a big weirpool on 5llb line :roll:

Tried worms and caught Chub.
Tried small spinners and caught.....


Pike, again!

Advice on how to catch Perch and only Perch will be gratefully received.
Ha ha Mike, sounds about right to me.

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Re: Perch Talk.

Post by Monts »

I've done OK this Autumn with a few fish over three pound from my local rivers. Can't upload any photos as the attachment thingy is currently offline.
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Mike J
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Re: Perch Talk.

Post by Mike J »

I dont fish for them all year as I generally fish rivers and my stillwater fishing is aimed at the pike that are not in there (something I cannot seem to resist).
If I see or hear of a perch being caught I make a note and give it a go when the mood takes me.
Even though I have had a thriving wormery for ten years they never grow bigger than 4"ers and its the 10" lobs I would prefer to use.
Patting minnows was how I started, catching for grilling during the years of rationing, this years return to minnows was more of a nostalic return than anything serious.
The KHV threat will decline rapidly once the frosts get going and then I will fish the lakes again, my plan is to try a minnow on a sleeper rod whilst I float fish some of my worms and pray the carp keep away.

Anyone have a copy of the most recent Biggest Fish of All ?
'No Man Ever Fishes The Same River Twice, .... For It Is Not The Same River, .... And He Is Not The Same Man' Heraclitus of Ephesus
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Jason Skilton
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Re: Perch Talk.

Post by Jason Skilton »

Got invited out perch fishing with a good friend on Saturday, lovely day utilising a mixture of livebaits, lob worms and king prawns. The pit has no pike, so it was great fun knowing that the only runs would come from perch.

Started by catching some bait and on advise I targeted the smaller perch for bait. The lobworms got hammered by small perch, so it was soon a easy decision to utilise both the small perch and the prawns as bait.

The actions was slow for me, but I did end up with a brace of 2lber's including a new pb of 2lb 7oz. which engulfed a 5" perch livebait. had the secons 2lb on a whole king prawn.
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Re: Perch Talk.

Post by piker66 »

Good stuff Jason. By sheer chance, I earwigged two anglers talking about a good perch that grabbed a hooked roach the angler was reeling in, while I was in the local tackle shop last week. He reckoned three pounds, so even allowing for exaggeration it's a decent fish. Another water to add to my list of possible maybe's !
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Re: Perch Talk.

Post by cookiesdaughtersdad »

The most selective method for big perch I have found is a small dead perch, often popped up the length of the hooklink, if a small perch is wound in and quickly tapped on the head they tend to be quite buoyant, but if not a piece of Norfolk read or similar shoved (carefully placed!) down their throat works well.
I would often fish these over maggot and chopped worm with takes often coming around dusk or soon after and don't forget to twitch them occasionally!

Cheers Alan
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Re: Perch Talk.

Post by Mark_Houghton »

The perch fishing is pretty dire locally just now, but managed this one a short while back. Best this year, amongst a horde of little uns. All good fun on UL baitcasting gear and mini lures though :thumbs:

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Re: Perch Talk.

Post by Alan_dalton »

Going tomorrow, given up on then pike this year. Can't wait not ever targeted just perch. Can't live bait though as taking kids and that's the one rule my wife insists and she's dead against the method.
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Re: Perch Talk.

Post by suffolk si »

I'm on a lake with a lot of small pike and a very good head of perch to three plus, had one on smelt at two five the other day but have been trying small coarse fish and can't get a bite from them :shrug: no lives allowed on this water which is my normal go to method, gonna give prawns a crack I think although I have no experiance with them.anybody else on here caught on sea deadbaits?
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Re: Perch Talk.

Post by Will Smith »

suffolk si wrote: Sat Dec 08 2018 22:58 -
I'm on a lake with a lot of small pike and a very good head of perch to three plus, had one on smelt at two five the other day but have been trying small coarse fish and can't get a bite from them :shrug: no lives allowed on this water which is my normal go to method, gonna give prawns a crack I think although I have no experiance with them.anybody else on here caught on sea deadbaits?
You should do OK with those Simon.

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Re: Perch Talk.

Post by Mark_Houghton »

suffolk si wrote: Sat Dec 08 2018 22:58 -
I'm on a lake with a lot of small pike and a very good head of perch to three plus, had one on smelt at two five the other day but have been trying small coarse fish and can't get a bite from them :shrug: no lives allowed on this water which is my normal go to method, gonna give prawns a crack I think although I have no experiance with them.anybody else on here caught on sea deadbaits?
Prawns work. A lad i know up here has had fish to 3+ on them :thumbs:
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Re: Perch Talk.

Post by Steve Burke »

I have caught on sea deadbaits when wobbled but never on a static one. It's not been for the want of a lot of trying either!

That said, there are some waters where perch take sea deadbaits, but not on mine.
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Re: Perch Talk.

Post by suffolk si »

Just never used them before , all my better perch over three have come on lives. Had a few high twos on lures but they are just getting gulped up by jacks on this water .Will be interesting, gonna loose feed plenty of maggots and chopped worms I think as prawns ain't cheap!
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Re: Perch Talk.

Post by Mike J »

Im going to give this method a go when I can aquire a few softies.

http://bursell.dk/artikler/freshwater/a ... rigget.pdf

Anyone seen the prices the Perchfishers book are going for these days, whew! :afraid:

Makes me pleased my copies were bought following publication.
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Re: Perch Talk.

Post by Mark_Houghton »

Mike J wrote: Mon Dec 10 2018 12:06 -
Im going to give this method a go when I can aquire a few softies.

http://bursell.dk/artikler/freshwater/a ... rigget.pdf

Anyone seen the prices the Perchfishers book are going for these days, whew! :afraid:

Makes me pleased my copies were bought following publication.
Works better with the hook mounted in line with the bait, not crossways through it, that`s how it`s usually recommended to hook the baits. You`ll be surprised how weedless and snag free it is in use Mike. Try AGM for suitable baits, plenty on there and good prices too :thumbs:
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Re: Perch Talk.

Post by Mike J »

Thanks Mark.
Ive fished the Senko a good bit but never a crayfish softie so thanks for the tip.
The lake Im going to fish has had crays for a decade with Perch as the the apex predator a softie crays would seem to be the way to go.
Lures of all designs do not get attacked but baitfish can be seen scattering and as there is no pike the other option is a livie.
If nothing works my default option will be a soft-backed crab!
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Re: Perch Talk.

Post by Mark_Houghton »

Mike J wrote: Mon Dec 10 2018 17:36 -
Thanks Mark.
Ive fished the Senko a good bit but never a crayfish softie so thanks for the tip.
The lake Im going to fish has had crays for a decade with Perch as the the apex predator a softie crays would seem to be the way to go.
Lures of all designs do not get attacked but baitfish can be seen scattering and as there is no pike the other option is a livie.
If nothing works my default option will be a soft-backed crab!
A lot of lads do well on soft crays dragged slowly across the bottom, rigged on a weighted worm hook, at this time of year Mike, seems to be a killer method on the southern rivers with good heads of crayfish. Another option for you :thumbs:
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Re: Perch Talk.

Post by Mike J »

Thanks for that Mark :thumbs:
On my southern rivers the otters have decimated the crayfish to the extent that a bottom bait is rarely if ever touched although bits of the big ones are reasonably common along the bank. Its also v rare to find a fish thats been eaten by otters, my last was two plus years ago.
Last edited by Mike J on Tue Dec 11 2018 09:57, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Perch Talk.

Post by Monts »

I find fishing creature baits very slowly across the river bed mind numbing. Yes it does work and work very well, but it's just so tedious. The bites can be ever so delicate, just a very subtle tap. So you really need a set up that will help you feel the bite. To stiff a rod and your p*****g in the wind so to speak. It does take a fair amount of concentration, that slow hop, pause, drag along etc and my attention wanes after half an hour and I'm reaching for a small cranks or a shad. I'm much more suited to search baits I'm afraid.

But good luck with it. :grin:
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Re: Perch Talk.

Post by Mark_Houghton »

Monts wrote: Mon Dec 10 2018 20:22 -
I find fishing creature baits very slowly across the river bed mind numbing. Yes it does work and work very well, but it's just so tedious. The bites can be ever so delicate, just a very subtle tap. So you really need a set up that will help you feel the bite. To stiff a rod and your p*****g in the wind so to speak. It does take a fair amount of concentration, that slow hop, pause, drag along etc and my attention wanes after half an hour and I'm reaching for a small cranks or a shad. I'm much more suited to search baits I'm afraid.

But good luck with it. :grin:
I struggle to fish mega slowly too Jason, it`s my achilles heel :laughs: but mentioned it to Mike as another option for him :thumbs:
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Re: Perch Talk.

Post by Daniel »

I've done alright so far this season.
Thirty one 2lb+ fish
Five 3lb+ and two 4's, nearly all of them taken on my home poured soft plastics.
It's gone completely dead in the last couple of weeks for the better perch though, you wouldn't know perch over 6oz even existed!
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Re: Perch Talk.

Post by Monts »

Mark_Houghton wrote: Mon Dec 10 2018 21:34 -
Monts wrote: Mon Dec 10 2018 20:22 -
I find fishing creature baits very slowly across the river bed mind numbing. Yes it does work and work very well, but it's just so tedious. The bites can be ever so delicate, just a very subtle tap. So you really need a set up that will help you feel the bite. To stiff a rod and your p*****g in the wind so to speak. It does take a fair amount of concentration, that slow hop, pause, drag along etc and my attention wanes after half an hour and I'm reaching for a small cranks or a shad. I'm much more suited to search baits I'm afraid.

But good luck with it. :grin:
I struggle to fish mega slowly too Jason, it`s my achilles heel :laughs: but mentioned it to Mike as another option for him :thumbs:

That's why we are both s***e lure fisherman. No mental tenacity, to bore out a fish. :grin:
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Re: Perch Talk.

Post by Andrew »

suffolk si wrote: Sat Dec 08 2018 22:58 -
I'm on a lake with a lot of small pike and a very good head of perch to three plus, had one on smelt at two five the other day but have been trying small coarse fish and can't get a bite from them :shrug: no lives allowed on this water which is my normal go to method, gonna give prawns a crack I think although I have no experiance with them.anybody else on here caught on sea deadbaits?
Twitched lobworm. It's my go to, for big perch.
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Re: Perch Talk.

Post by Mike J »

Daniel wrote: Tue Dec 11 2018 07:11 -
I've done alright so far this season.
Thirty one 2lb+ fish
Five 3lb+ and two 4's, nearly all of them taken on my home poured soft plastics.
It's gone completely dead in the last couple of weeks for the better perch though, you wouldn't know perch over 6oz even existed!


Hells bells that is some going!
Do you fish them free, under a float slow troll style or ???

Bottom hopping is out for me because of weed and sunken branches, years back it would have been a giant lobworm with a bubble of air injected but these days even finding a single decent lob is nigh on possible and why I tried minnows of which we have zillions.

Thinks ----- would prebaiting with live minnows focus the attention of lake Perch??
:scratch:
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Re: Perch Talk.

Post by Daniel »

Mike J wrote: Tue Dec 11 2018 10:08 -
Daniel wrote: Tue Dec 11 2018 07:11 -
I've done alright so far this season.
Thirty one 2lb+ fish
Five 3lb+ and two 4's, nearly all of them taken on my home poured soft plastics.
It's gone completely dead in the last couple of weeks for the better perch though, you wouldn't know perch over 6oz even existed!


Hells bells that is some going!
Do you fish them free, under a float slow troll style or ???

Bottom hopping is out for me because of weed and sunken branches, years back it would have been a giant lobworm with a bubble of air injected but these days even finding a single decent lob is nigh on possible and why I tried minnows of which we have zillions.

Thinks ----- would prebaiting with live minnows focus the attention of lake Perch??
:scratch:
I've not been doing anything very complicated, 2-4" shads and crayfish fished on a Cheb rig with either a wide gape weedless hook for bouncing across the deck or crazy fish round bend hooks designed for Cheb fishing on a straight retrieve.
Those not caught on my softies were taken on 3" cranks , often those designed for getting down to 6-8' even though I was only fishing in 3-4' of water.
This let me fish either very slowly just off the bottom or bump them along the deck with a slightly quicker retrieve.
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Re: Perch Talk.

Post by Mark_Houghton »

Daniel wrote: Tue Dec 11 2018 07:11 -
I've done alright so far this season.
Thirty one 2lb+ fish
Five 3lb+ and two 4's, nearly all of them taken on my home poured soft plastics.
It's gone completely dead in the last couple of weeks for the better perch though, you wouldn't know perch over 6oz even existed!
That`s good fishing Daniel, wish I had waters capable of doing fish like that nearer to me :thumbs:
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