River Perch Advice.

[clutch]

Hello,

I am looking to target perch on the River Severn at Bridgnorth.

I could do with some advice on the best approach, if anyone has any to give.

I have a 10ft feeder rod, which I hope will be up to the job. So, I will be ledgering. If anyone has any advice on a good rig to start out, hook lengths, feeder/or straight lead, hook size etc, then that would be great.

I was thinking of using worm or prawn, I hear that this is a good place to start? Also, with worm what is the best way to hook them, or should I be hair rigging them?

Finally, what sort of swims should I be looking for?

If anyone can help, or has any other advice then that would be fantastic.

Thanks.

 

[Another Dave]

I just hook the worms normally, but then put a tiny section of rubber band on just to keep the worm nicely positioned on the shank.

 

[ian g]

I fish further upstream from you , around Shrewsbury . I mainly float fish out of preference but I do use a tip rod now and again . I haven't done much with prawns as chub seem to home in on them . I mainly use lobworms which I break in half and hook at the broken end . Rigs are pretty straight forward either a running rig or some time just a swan shot near the bait . I find perch will strike as you twitch the bait so it's good to move the bait every few minutes , just a few inches . I look for slacks and eddies , anywhere you see small fish I'd try . Feed maggots to encourage little fish this will bring the perch . There are some big perch in the Severn , good luck

 

[Ray Roberts]

I fished at Hampton Loade recently and caught on live bait and worm. All of the fish were taken in the nearside margin with live baits catching the largest. I usually fish a running paternoster with a fairly heavy weight and a small free running Zeppler pike float above that. I point the rod towards the float and tighten up. I then set the bait runner to just not give line with the exertions of the live bait and click it into free-spool. I use an alarm, but you can just listen to the sound from the bait runner. Bites are very positive, the float jiggles about as the live bait becomes agitated by the presence of the perch then the bait runner/alarm sounds as the bait is taken. This is a very exciting method of fishing and picks out the bigger perch.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[theartist]

For location i'd look for any water that has a slight slack nearby, not always the deep slow spots as the perch should still be in the summer haunts and they can be in surprisingly fast shallow water provided there's that slack/eddy going on.

Overhanging trees, rocks and weeds find them and the big perch wont be far

 

[clutch]

Thanks for the advice guys,

Another quick question, what pattern of hooks would everyone recommend?

I am know perch really swallow the hook, so deep hooked fish is an issue. I want to combat that if possible, I had read that circle hooks helped with this issue? Is that the case? Can worm still be fished on a circle hook?

 

[binka]

Thanks for the advice guys,

Another quick question, what pattern of hooks would everyone recommend?

I am know perch really swallow the hook, so deep hooked fish is an issue. I want to combat that if possible, I had read that circle hooks helped with this issue? Is that the case? Can worm still be fished on a circle hook?

You can fish worm on a circle hook but I can't see any reason why you would need to providing your rig's set up properly and registering bites.

I only ever use wide gape hooks for worm and when Perch are the target I'd go for the 'X' versions, the stronger wire patterns as opposed to the generally fine wire hooks as Perch are buqqers for that angry head shaking which opens the gape of finer wire hooks.

 

[Molehill]

I took a little helpful advice from Iang and had my initial session on perch a few weeks ago, in the Severn below Shrewsbury. Fishing jigs for the first time ever, my first fish topped 31/2lbs mg:.
Well, when you've been fishing 60 years eventually the gods smile on you!

Couple of sessions since then have been a reality check - not quite so easy. Initial observations are that perch seem to be "on" or "off", grabbing the lure one day and can't but a bite the next. I haven't built up the experience to recognise best conditions and with 3 week intervals between trips I don't have the option of choice - I take what I'm given.

I have noticed the fry chasing of summer months has stopped, I'm guessing on bright sunny days they are deep in cover and come out at dusk? Coloured water feeding I have no idea, do they gorge during a flood and then rest up, or feed after the flood - couldn't catch a thing this week.
A lot to learn, including put the lid on my bait box properly, when I opened the worm box for first evening session it was empty

 

[theartist]

I have noticed the fry chasing of summer months has stopped, I'm guessing on bright sunny days they are deep in cover and come out at dusk? Coloured water feeding I have no idea, do they gorge during a flood and then rest up, or feed after the flood - couldn't catch a thing this week.

I'd be surprised if a flood led to an easy meal for perch, could be that they are holed up out of the current saving energy, coloured water would also make things hard for a sight predator. Early mornings and late evenings are best if you want to see them chasing fry in the shallows, catching them in such water would be a challenge though, often they'll come behind me when I'm wading out and you'll hear that slurp as they swirl in water just inches deep

 

[Molehill]

I'd be surprised if a flood led to an easy meal for perch, could be that they are holed up out of the current saving energy, coloured water would also make things hard for a sight predator. Early mornings and late evenings are best if you want to see them chasing fry in the shallows, catching them in such water would be a challenge though, often they'll come behind me when I'm wading out and you'll hear that slurp as they swirl in water just inches deep

Those were my initial thoughts, but fishing this week as the river fined down and cleared I expected them to come on the feed, but nothing, even early mornings. Thought that after a week of floodwater and possibly not being able to feed they would be extra hungry - seems not - so wondered if they managed to pick up worms etc. or even chasing bleak in the shallows and bankside swims during the floods?
When fishing through the summer they are after fry all over the river at times, like you say, when wading they come behind sucking away at fry.
More time on the bank is needed, but the one thing I have little enough of and too many species to chase!

 

[theartist]

Those were my initial thoughts, but fishing this week as the river fined down and cleared I expected them to come on the feed, but nothing, even early mornings. Thought that after a week of floodwater and possibly not being able to feed they would be extra hungry - seems not - so wondered if they managed to pick up worms etc. or even chasing bleak in the shallows and bankside swims during the floods?
When fishing through the summer they are after fry all over the river at times, like you say, when wading they come behind sucking away at fry.
More time on the bank is needed, but the one thing I have little enough of and too many species to chase!

Could also be the water temp has dropped with the flush through and those cold nights?

 

[ian g]

I've caught perch on worm in flood conditions but only from a couple of big slacks I had sussed out. I find perch to be really frustrating at times , sometimes they just hammer anything you put in front of them and sometimes you'd think there wasn't one in the river. The Severn around Shrewsbury has had much more weed than usual and seems to have spread perch out more .

 

[edsurf]

Hello,

I am looking to target perch on the River Severn at Bridgnorth.

I could do with some advice on the best approach, if anyone has any to give.

I have a 10ft feeder rod, which I hope will be up to the job. So, I will be ledgering. If anyone has any advice on a good rig to start out, hook lengths, feeder/or straight lead, hook size etc, then that would be great.

I was thinking of using worm or prawn, I hear that this is a good place to start? Also, with worm what is the best way to hook them, or should I be hair rigging them?

Finally, what sort of swims should I be looking for?

If anyone can help, or has any other advice then that would be fantastic.

Thanks.

On trotted red maggot, trotting for chub.

 

[binka]

I think maggots are a much overlooked bait for Perch, probably because they're not a very selective bait but wade through the other fish and get the Perch going on them and they're as deadly as anything for big Perch.

Maggots have accounted for a few 3's for me and I think the secret is to keep a constant drip of them going in say every thirty seconds or so, the Perch rock up on the back of the silvers and then get preoccupied with the falling food.

As soon as they hit the deck I don't think they're half as effective, probably because Perch like the chase and with nothing falling through the water to intercept they just drift off in pursuit of the silvers.

This was a 3+ maggot caught river fish...



Going back to worms, this is my preferred way of hooking a big lobbie by threading a large (size 6 or 4) wide gape hook so that it sits in the middle of the bait...

print screen windows

Wasn't the current (or recent previous) record Perch caught very deliberately on maggot?

 

[103841]

It’s still a joint record I think Steve. The one caught at Stream Valley in Sussex was allegedly caught with a hair rigged prawn over a bed of maggots.

 

[shane99]

Thanks for the advice guys,

Another quick question, what pattern of hooks would everyone recommend?

I am know perch really swallow the hook, so deep hooked fish is an issue. I want to combat that if possible, I had read that circle hooks helped with this issue? Is that the case? Can worm still be fished on a circle hook?

To answer the question Sukuma 440 circle hooks which I got the nod about on this forum ;-0 - Just a nice bit of 'comfort' to fish with one of these on.

 

[Molehill]

Strangely, when I've been trotting maggots on the Severn, in assorted swims and even with perch striking in the vicinity, I have never had a single perch. Not even a 4oz shoal fish that grab anything.
I've always thought it very strange, probably next time I go I shall have bag full!

 

[theartist]

Strangely, when I've been trotting maggots on the Severn, in assorted swims and even with perch striking in the vicinity, I have never had a single perch. Not even a 4oz shoal fish that grab anything.
I've always thought it very strange, probably next time I go I shall have bag full!

I do ok for perch with maggots but find the swim selection is critical, some areas are great some aren't and if there's dace or bleak about(which is likely on the Severn) the bait probably isn't getting down to the perch which hang deeper. Moving just a few yards up or downstream can find perch whereas a few yards the wrong way and you can get bleaked out. Alternatively you may have to move a good mile, it's all about learning the river but if the perch are there in numbers they should take maggot though

Unless you're willing to invest on a gallon or two of maggots it's also worth trying feeding reds and fishing worm on the hook, I've heard that this works well and counters the silvers better

 

[ian g]

Unless you're willing to invest on a gallon or two of maggots it's also worth trying feeding reds and fishing worm on the hook, I've heard that this works well and counters the silvers better

I use that method mostly myself , I've had good perch plus some nice chub , roach and quite a few pike . I've caught perch on maggots when trying to catch live bait but I suspect they're better later in the year when the bleak slow down . I've found perch to be a bit of enigma , I have a few spots where I know they are but they won't have it then suddenly switch on and other spots where you swap from worm to a minnow and the bites start . That's what makes it interesting.

 

[Molehill]

Another question, you fish worm on the float on rivers, are you drifting it through/round the slack area, or is it laying on style?
Also, I presume you decide to fish float rather than ledger, reason? And would there be any advantage to a ledgered worm popped up off the bottom with say a little red poly ball?
All random thoughts going through my head!