Deep throat

[frothy]

so has anyone found a effective way of avoiding deep hooking perch? I've tried short hook link, small baits big baits, long hair rigs, big hooks, small hooks, hitting bites at the smallest twitch and still haven't found a method that doesn't stop them. I notice that the magazines etc tend to have a lot of articles showing people fishing resistance (as much as it can be) free running rigs on alarms and this to me screams deep hooking... Your thoughts please

 

[iannate]

The only advice I can give is to carry an array of disgorgers and forceps

On good days, you will hit every bite just right, and bad days they all swallow no matter what size they are and what you use.

Not sure if you will suffer the same problems from lure fishing though?

 

[john step]

I spent several sessions in the autumn and early winter after perch, with some success on a small lake WHERE THERE ARE NO PIKE. (no wire therefore)
I caught on a 3 to 4 inch long tail section of dead rudd.
The size 6 or 8 barbless was hooked right at the end neaest the tail and no fish was so deeply hooked that there was trouble with it.
I also caught on ledgered live rudd on a hair rig. This was using one of those maggot clips that look like a circular safety pin on the hair and lip hooking the livebait. Also with no deep hooking. In fact on this livebait rig the hook was usualy just inside the mouth. You can adjust the hair length to suit how the perch are taking. As an extra point..sometimes the size of live bait available was bigger than I would have thought best for perch (4to 5 inches) which did not seem to be put them off at all.

 

[barbelboi]

so has anyone found a effective way of avoiding deep hooking perch?

Yep, fish for roach using an 18/20 hook and caster over caster/hemp - all the big perch I hook are only just hooked in the top lip
Jerry

 

[frothy]

Yep, fish for roach using an 18/20 hook and caster over caster/hemp - all the big perch I hook are only just hooked in the top lip
Jerry

I have found this the too, the trouble seems to be when targeting the perch exclusively. I think I might try a larger dead bait on a long hair as suggested, Having a slammo definitely helps with unhooking but I would rather avoid it in the first place...

 

[Terry D]

Slammo disgorger works for me too, especially on the smaller hooks.

 

[sagalout]

When I presented a live bait using a pole I had to resort to a small treble (number 12) to hook them at all. What I think happened was as the perch attacked the live bait took the rig until it was tight to the elastic and then the perch felt the elastic straight away and immediately spat the bait. None of the many perch caught were deep hooked.

When fishing static baits for perch I have found a trigger shot 3 inches from the hook makes a sensitive rig that virtually eliminates deep hooking. I use a drennan glow tip antennae float, bulk shot it to leave the antennae showing and then sink the antennae with the minimum needed 3" from the hook, normally 2 or 3 number 8 shot.

 

[frothy]

Think I will try the Waggler setup you have described as go saga out. I have tried something similar in the past with dome success but maybe it just needs a little refinement.

 

[sagalout]

Good luck and I will be interested to hear your results.

 

[iannate]

When fishing static baits for perch I have found a trigger shot 3 inches from the hook makes a sensitive rig that virtually eliminates deep hooking. I use a drennan glow tip antennae float, bulk shot it to leave the antennae showing and then sink the antennae with the minimum needed 3" from the hook, normally 2 or 3 number 8 shot.

Good thinking, I generally don't use shot on my hook length or very close to the hook, but this makes perfect sense

 

[Ray Roberts]

I've used a sort of hair rig in the past, the waters that I mainly fish for perch on have no pike. I make a 5lb fluro hook-length, tying a size 14 to the hair and a size 10 with a knotless knot about 10 inches further up I tie a swivel with a palomar knot.

I live-bait but I see no reason you couldn't use the same rig for a dead-bait or a wire trace and a hair of as different material if you need to.

 

[David Dalton]

I think it depends to a large extent on the bait you use. I am sure that lobworms are the worst bait for deep hooking - perch seem to swallow them right down in an instant.

Maggots aren't as bad as worms, but whenever possible I prefer to use a fairly large float fished livebait, such as a four inch bleak. I have never had a deep hooked perch using live bait.