Perch Jigging Question.

[Notts Michael.]

Howdoo all.
I recently made the effort to get up early and get to the canal just before first light to try jig fishing for a few Perch, (size 6hook/1.5G jig head, spikey shad, 5lb main, 4lb fluoro hooklength) previous daytime attempts at lure fishing with this set up produced zero.
Almost straight away, hooked a nice Pound-ish Perch from below some fallen reed cover, then nothing in that area again, moved some distance to a similar patch of close in, margin cover and again, another nice round a pound Perch quickly hooked, then nothing in that area, soon it got light and the bites went away,anyway, is this a sign that basically this type of close in fishing only gets the odd lone fish, and then that area is done, requiring you to move on? do the Perch spend more time in the deeper middle run of a canal as the weather gets colder, and these 2 were just a lucky 'right place right time' catch?
fishing the same spots at first light the next morning produced no bites at all, are any other Perch in any given area spooked away with the kerfuffle of a caught fish and get wary of that spot again for a while? any advice on hooking a few more of these awesome fish would be great, many thanks

 

[ian g]

I'm no expert but have found on my local canal (Llangollen ) that perch can be very localized at this time of year . I've walked long distances casting for nothing then suddenly find the fish and catch a few fish. They will become wary and back off but by moving a few feet you can carry on catching . I also suspect they are pretty territorial and see the lure as an invader and attack them .

 

[Keith M]

Perch shoals on my local canal seem to move up and down the canal just off and on the near and far shelves chasing shoals of minnows and small gudgeon which seem to congregate in these areas and where anglers throw their unused maggots at the end of the day.
But if they see you they often tend to back off and stay out of sight so it’s worth keeping low and not being too obvious.

Other common places that the perch like to be are closer to the bank under trees and bushes and under bridges, and close to berthed barges and wooden pilings.

I very rarely catch many Perch in the centre of my canal unless there has been very few barge movements during the day.

Keith

 

[103841]

In my experience I’ve found that perch move about and can be quite nomadic, have also found they have quite short feeding spells, maybe just thirty minutes a few times a day.

I believe as many do that they do spook very easily and when caught are best keeping in a net til you move on. Only just recently without a keepnet I released one 50 metres upstream only to see it swim straight back to the area I caught it!

 

[Notts Michael.]

Thanks for the info, chaps. my numpty clattering about setting up, and use of a headtorch may have not helped, and being more sensible setting up away from the area being fished will no doubt help. I have noticed that as it starts to get dark in the early evening, Perch have seemed to get more bold and active, in september one virtually took a small roach off me as it plopped into the water as i was returning it to the canal close in to a steep wall near a lock! I have read that the first light of morning is a better time for them being active and hungry.

 

[Philip]

Michael, I recon your getting it more right than you probably think.

The one big thing you did that put things hugely in your favour imo was to fish it at first light. The second thing you did right was to look at the features especially in the margins.

Perch can be very driven by light levels and first light or last knockings as the light fades is the best time of all and it can really turn them on. 30mins spent at these key times can be worth an entire day flogging away in bright sunshine. Not always of course but generally speaking.

The only additional things I would add that may help get an additional fish is as others have said try and keep disturban Edit Postce to a minimum and dont release any you catch back into the swim..either keep them in a net or walk them well (well….) away from you before you release them.

Maybe try dropping a big worm into some of these spots as well & jigging that if you can get your hands on any.

Let us know how you get on!

 

[103841]

I’ve been fortunate to have caught five perch over 3lb in my short time fishing, all five were caught in the middle of the day, some in strong sunlight. Three of the five were caught in open water far from some very perchy looking features.

The rules are there to be broken.:thumbs:

 

[Notts Michael.]

Cheers for the encouragement, Philip, releasing any caught perch away from the area makes sense, chucking a few morsels in pre setting up may also do no harm in getting some interest, even a few red maggots which I usually have anyway, these fish are understandably ready for a bit of breakfast after a cold night waiting for early daylight to hunt in, Many thanks.

 

[spoonminnow]

are any other Perch in any given area spooked away with the kerfuffle of a caught fish and get wary of that spot again for a while?

Had to address this first. The answer is NO! Absolutely not! YouTube has videos of perch being caught one after the other under the ice and when I get into an area that has many perch, I catch many and in water less than 4' deep. Sometimes perch will stay in any area in spring for a week and then move around. Finding them is the challenge.

Secondly, perch don't bite lures because their feeding. Just the opposite. Fish bite lures in general because they are provoked by a lure's action, shape (especially tail) and angler input on the retrieve. I will always assume fish are aggressive when we force them to be but otherwise just hanging out until something good comes along that's easy to vacuum.

Live bait may at times may be best for cold water fish (temp under 40 degrees), but soft plastic lures on light jigheads, used in water temperatures over 40, do fantastic - after you find fish.

8 lb test braid with a 6# test fluorocarbon leaded is my choice for any light lure fishing. (the leader allows the best lure action).

 

[Notts Michael.]

Some cracking pics, Spoonminnow, and some interesting lures you have.

 

[spoonminnow]

Thanks Michael. Nice thing is always having a large variety of lure to choose from, knowing they will always catch fish once fish are found that can be provoked into striking once aggression buttons are pushed.

 

[Notts Michael.]

Well, my most recent 7am canal outing went pretty well, 3 nice perch, including a PB by some way at 2lb 3oz which I'm really chuffed with, similar tactics as before, close in to reed cover, this time a bit of pre baiting with just half a dozen red maggots in each likely spot, a few minutes before trying that spot. the worm type lure I used seems to get a good few bites, a Westin 'Bloodteez' 5.5cm, red thingamabob, which looks a bit like a big Earwig/centipede type thing with a few whiskers at the head end, I thought the 75mm version would have been a better purchase but the smaller version certainly did OK, getting perch from a few ounces to the pb perch, and even a common carp of around 1.5 pound. I might try one below a float on a slow flowing river stretch to see what it attracts.

 

[spoonminnow]

Congratulations !!! Yipee!! :yo:

Soft plastics 6 cm or less are what catches most fish in my local lakes unless the fish average 30cm or better. Bigger fish go after large lures (7 1/2 cm) in my experience. As I suggested, light jigs regardless lure size may be key for fish that need a very slow presentation regardless water depth. You can't miss with a light jig head and whatever you want to put on it. I caught 6 -2 lb bass on a 5" plastic worm rigged on a 1/32 oz jighead slowly twitched near the surface in shallow water with some weeds.

 

[Jeff Woodhouse]

3 nice perch, including a PB by some way at 2lb 3oz which I'm really chuffed with, similar tactics as before, close in to reed cover

Seems like you've now worked it out and are benefiting from that acquired knowledge. Perch do often lie up by the side of reeds, one reason they've adapted that camouflage of stripes, ready to ambush any stray minnow or small fry that happen by. They're mostly what opportunist takers of food although a shoal can be encouraged to feed and that's when bait anglers can catch with maggots and worm. More often, I've found, they will just hang around waiting for some unsuspecting prey to pass by, but they won't miss an opportunity to strike out at a lure. Drop shot and jig fishing seem to be taking the better catches these days, perhaps if only because more anglers are using these styles of fishing.

 

[spoonminnow]

More often, I've found, they will just hang around waiting for some unsuspecting prey to pass by, but they won't miss an opportunity to strike out at a lure. Drop shot and jig fishing seem to be taking the better catches these days, perhaps if only because more anglers are using these styles of fishing.

After posting many photos of the variety of lure shapes and actions all fish species bite - none of which simulate any animal living, I have become skeptical that fish strike lures to eat them. Not saying it's not possible, but just that IMO the emphasis should be placed on unique lure shapes, actions and maybe color in combination without depending on what a fish thinks a lure is.

Rather than categorize lures based on the usual: worm, grub, crawfish, minnow, etc., I base it strictly on lure action: prong tail, thin wide tail, paddle tail, double tail, curl tail, claw, stick, worm/tail shape and body taper, floating, sinking, spinner, overhead spin, etc. If a store bought lure works well such as Kut Tail or Slider Worms, I stick with that because those names indicate lure designs fish strike more often than others in the same category.

As far as more anglers using jigs and dropshot (with lures) than live bait, that may be true, but basically far more water is covered than using live bait rigs. I've seen many shore anglers sit in one spot hoping fish come to them, whereas the shoreline angler that moves around regardless of bait and method, catch more. I must move around the lake or go home even if I never switch lures I have confidence in (except to change jig head weights).

 

[Jeff Woodhouse]

After posting many photos of the variety of lure shapes and actions all fish species bite - none of which simulate any animal living, I have become skeptical that fish strike lures to eat them. Not saying it's not possible, but just that IMO the emphasis should be placed on unique lure shapes, actions and maybe color in combination without depending on what a fish thinks a lure is.

Perhaps those comments weren't clear enough since I was trying to be concise in my response. However, I do maintain that a lot of the time perch will strike out at movement of something rather than whether or not they are hungry and want to eat it. A bit like salmon that don't feed once they return to the river, but strike out at lures and flies simply because they are irritating or invading their space, or something like that.

As much as can be applied to design and colour of lures, some of which may be true, I still believe it is the movement, sudden or otherwise, that will provoke an attack. One of my best perch, a fish of 3lbs 7½ozs, was caught on a green pellet fairly and squarely in the mouth and the only indication was when I struck, as I sometimes do (and matchmen often do) before reeling in, just in case. I think the sudden movement provoked an attack on the pellet.

The latter part of my comment regarding the greater success of drop shot and jigging techniques was strictly in comparison the age-old method of spinning. That too covers a lot of ground in just the same way, but I also believe that because a drop shot lure sits around a little more, it's when it is moved that most attacks take place. IMHO and born out by my own experience.

But who's to say, no perch has ever told me what caused him to attack a lure. Not yet at least.

 

[spoonminnow]

a lot of the time perch will strike out at movement of something rather than whether or not they are hungry and want to eat it.

because a drop shot lure sits around a little more, it's when it is moved that most attacks take place.

like salmon that don't feed once they return to the river, but strike out at lures and flies simply because they are irritating or invading their space, or something like that.

I totally agree !!
This forum is lucky to have an experienced angler such as yourself that obviously has experience with lures vs live bait. Knowing that fish strike for reasons other than feeding opens up an incredible number of lure possibilities - something which early lure designers/ sellers discovered over 100 years ago. Once they sold the public on a bill of goods why their lures caught fish, mass production and false advertising made millions for them and continues to do so.

 

[Jeff Woodhouse]

This forum is lucky to have an experienced angler such as yourself

That's very generous of you to say that and thank you, but I really don't deserve all of it. We have had some excellent anglers on here before now from whom I have learnt an awful lot. It's sharing and passing on information what forums are good at, that and squabbling.

Sure I have had quite a bit of experience chucking lures around and sometime watching at very close range what fish do, particularly pike. You hear other anglers, Mick Brown for instance, say before you remove the lure from the water at the end of a retrieve, leave it a minutes or two. The times I pulled a lure in with a pike following it and then I stopped, let the lure fall to the lake bed and just watched the pike. The pike was transfixed on the lure, but absolutely motionless, sometime for as long as 6 or 7 minutes, then as soon I tweeked the lure by an inch or two, he attacked. It's quite exciting to watch it and at the same time you're constantly wondering "Now?" or "Not yet!"

I thought a lot of things about lure design at one time until I read this book I reviewed for the site. Book Review: Lure Fishing – Presentation and Strategy | FishingMagic It really is full of good advice and changed the way I look at all kinds of lures. As a dealer said to me many, many years ago, lures are made to sell to the angler. The book doesn't cover drop shot fishing, if I remember, but it makes you think about a lot of stuff especially whereabouts to fish and retrieving.

 

[spoonminnow]

The pike was transfixed on the lure, but absolutely motionless, sometime for as long as 6 or 7 minutes, then as soon I tweeked the lure by an inch or two, he attacked. It's quite exciting to watch it and at the same time you're constantly wondering "Now?" or "Not yet!"

Can't tell how many times that has happened regarding fish that struck lures that moved slightly after being stationary - mostly when I was eating something and left the lure on bottom. ln fact that's how I got confidence using a jig & pig for the first time.
(For those that have never used a j & p, it's a hair or living rubber or silicone skirted jig with a piece of pork skin shaped into nothing in particular, with the hook through it.)

I'd seen it catch many bass in a tournament and knew I had to try it. I took the combo to my local lake but caught nothing on it for over an hour and decided to change lures. I forgot the lure was still on bottom while having lunch and then pulled up the anchor. When the lure started to move with boat drift, the pole bowed over like the lure was stuck on a rock. It was the first bass I caught that day on a j& p followed by 10 others. Same thing has happened with a few other lures used for the first time or anything else sitting on bottom until the lure moved slightly - but not because I did anything. Usually a slight boat rock (while reaching for a drink) with the rod sitting there was all it took to get a fish to hook itself on a suspended soft plastic lure and jighead.

Moral of the story - eat something with the lure still on bottom !!

 

[Notts Michael.]

Where does that put us regarding the 'wisdom' that first light and the fading light of early evening is the primo time for catching Perch, I thought from what I've read many times that these times were their favoured feeding times, as they have superior eye sight in low light levels (like othe predator fish species) are they also more territorial/aggressive in general at these times then, and willing to attack anything in their general space, rather than being keen to feed at these lower light times, and that is why they are more catchable in these conditions?