Favourite winter perch method

[The occasional angler]

I don’t think I’ve ever targeted perch in winter. I love spinning for them in summer... I’m planning a perch video in the next few weeks, what’s your most effective winter perch technique?

 

[john step]

I used to like live or deadbait but this last year I cannot catch a biggy for the life of me. So...........no favourite at the moment UGH mg:

 

[peter crabtree]

The ultimate bait is a live gudgeon lip hooked .

Downside is you need to catch one first.

 

[ian g]

The ultimate bait is a live gudgeon lip hooked .

Downside is you need to catch one first.

They certainly work on my local canal , then again so do lobworms

 

[Aknib]

I'm never happier than when I've got a nice, juicy lobworm or large dendra over a bed of chop, preferably on the float.

I have to say though, especially as the question is targeted at Winter, that the humble maggot presented over an almost constant trickle of light feed can account for some very good fish on the hardest of days.

 

[Philip]

Spinning will still work in the winter....you could keep doing that.

For me if its big ones then it has to be a livebait fished under a float. Either leave it free roaming and cast into all the likley spots or pin it in place with a tiny paternoster (very) near a feature.

I know they can be caught at any time but given the choice first light or last knockings are the best time I recon.

 

[103841]

The five I’ve had over 3lb two were caught on live bait under a float, two on lobworm and one on a piece of mackerel. Only managed up to 2lb either dropshotting or spinning.

 

[flightliner]

A free running ledger rig with an air injected lobworm in the depths of a hard cold winter and on the right water a simple maggot/s falling gently thro the water column under a float following some free offerings if the weather turns mild.

 

[Windy]

A free running ledger rig with an air injected lobworm in the depths of a hard cold winter...

That's the one :thumbs:

 

[The occasional angler]

Thanks all, I think a bit of ledgering with lobworm may be the way. With air injected , are you using a hyperdermic syringe and literally injecting air into the worm? And do you do this at one end or all over?

 

[sylvanillo]

If you love spinning then keep doing it in winter! It's even better.
When I was able to walk-and-fish, then my favourite in winter were:

1) wobbling deadbait, using a small sprat as a bait - superior results in river or canal. I make my rigs myself, they're based on the classic drachko rig.
Some pictures of my rig (not stating it is the absolute perfection!) here
In the UK, sprats are easy to find. Can be frozen in small packs and then unfrozen very slowly to keep them firm. I've used this technique in all sort of waters within 50 miles from oxford and it's worked everywhere.
The good things with an articulated custom rig are:
- if you add the silicon tubes then you'd rarely loose a rig - Mother Nature is happy.
- it's so cheap
- you can adjust the lead as needed, and on canal you may not even need a lead
- you can add a carolina weight one or two feet above the rig, and keep the contact with the weight instead of the bait, doing pauses of up to 2 min, so it becomes a very slow tempting for pike. The carolina weight can be put on or removed, no need for knots in a cold day!

2) cochard weight with small lures. Very precise fishing e.g. a few inches from snags, bridges etc
Some pictures here

Another option is a customised spoon. Pics here

Unfortunately i can't do any of these anymore as my back is not happy ....

... so I'll also try with the other options given in this post!!!!

 

[David Rogers 3]

1) wobbling deadbait, using a small sprat as a bait - superior results in river or canal. I make my rigs myself, they're based on the classic drachko rig.
Some pictures of my rig (not stating it is the absolute perfection!)

That looks very interesting and something I'd like to try on my local canal - my French isn't up to understanding the description very well, though! I can see that the silicone tubing covering the exposed points of the trebles would prevent the rig getting snagged, but does it not impede the strike when the fish takes the sprat?

 

[Peter Jacobs]

Being a bit of an old traditionalist I prefer to fish a lobworm under a nice old perch bobber float.

Prior or to moving to Norway I had never caught a two pound perch. In my first match at Hamar I had three over three pounds to legered worm.

 

[The occasional angler]

Thanks there is some excellent information here, the second method looks like a Texas rig. Definitely give these a go
Thanks guy

 

[sylvanillo]

That looks very interesting and something I'd like to try on my local canal - my French isn't up to understanding the description very well, though! I can see that the silicone tubing covering the exposed points of the trebles would prevent the rig getting snagged, but does it not impede the strike when the fish takes the sprat?

Ah yes sorry, that was in french- ohlala!
My modest experience shows the silicon elytras don't impede the strike. I've taken hundreds of zander with this.
Also those tubes have the immense advantage of keeping the same bait on for a long time because the rig goes smoothly between snags. On a typical English canal a sprat or a smell will last up to an hour, more in winter.

The silicon tube is from my local tackle shop, 2 mm very soft silicone.

 

[sylvanillo]

Thanks there is some excellent information here, the second method looks like a Texas rig. Definitely give these a go
Thanks guy

The texas rig and its derivatives use a texas lead, so retrieving the line is all linear. While the cochard lead has a shape which makes it to fall back in any direction. Initially, the lead itself is a lure actually, but I prefer it coupled with a soft lure. This isn't my idea, I took it from a nice chap who fishes for zander on canals in northern france.

One last thing I've never tried but works damn well is a wobbling lobworm (the real worm, not a lure).

 

[Another Dave]

sylvanillo's 3 French sites translated

Google Translate

Google Translate

Google Translate

NB, google translate has decided that "perche" means "pole"

 

[mikench]

Google translate leaves a lot to be desired and is far too literal in my experience. I preferred the French version.