New to predator fishing

[Mrnab]

Hi, i'm looking at targeting some perch in the next week or so, my rods casting weight is 10 - 30g. I was thinking about using some jelly lures around 8cm. Just wondering now what hook size and jighead weight should i use? Or possibly some weight weedless hooks. I'll be fishing a lake so could do with casting some distance if needed.

I have these in mind Mix Colours Jerkbait Soft Lures 8cm Fishing Bait Tackle Yelly | eBay

Also need to add there is pike present, so is it worth adding a trace for such small lures incase, and will this mess up the action.

 

[Another Dave]

I would say that rod's a little heavy for those lures, personally i'd use a quivertip rod if the only lure rod i had was this one.

I probably would use a trace, some 6lb Knot2Kinky, but if you decide to gamble it then i suggest squashing the barbs down so a pike isn't stuck with a jelly decoration for the rest of its life.

Do you like watching youtubes? This guy is good. Link: YouTube

 

[Another Dave]

Jigheads: get a few different weights from 3g to 10g as you don't know what the conditions will be like on the day, probably looking at size 2 or 1/0, hard to say without having the lure in my hand.

 

[stillwater blue]

Have a look here Lures and lure fishing tackle at great prices! everything you need and at a good price too.

If pike are present in any number or I'm fishing a soft plastic over 2" I like to use a 49 strand wire trace of around 10lb breaking strain, it doesn't effect the action of the lure too much but does let you land all the pike that take the lure. If the stock of pike is very low and I'm fishing soft plastics of around an 1" then I use a barbless jig head and fluoro of around 6lb.

The lures you've linked I'd prefer to drop shot or Carolina rig, I prefer a standard shad tail on a jig head. On a lure of 8cm I'd be looking to fish a size 1 or 1/0 hook depending upon how well the lure collapses.

The weight of jig all depends upon what you're trying to do not casting distance. If you're bouncing the jig across the bottom or fishing a stop go type retrieve then the lighter the weight the better as the lure behaves more naturally but you need enough weight to keep in contact with the jig head at all times or you'll miss bites, it's a balancing act. If you're fishing a straight retrieve then you need enough weight to keep the lure down at the depth you want to fish at at the speed you're winding, it's a balancing act but not quite as critical. For a lure of 8cm I'd have jigs from 1.5g to 7g, I'd probably start around 3g depending upon conditions

 

[Mrnab]

Thanks for the replies, some good info there, i see you mentioned carolina rig. If i was to do that what sort of weight bullet would i go with?

 

[stillwater blue]

Thanks for the replies, some good info there, i see you mentioned carolina rig. If i was to do that what sort of weight bullet would i go with?

I tend to fish a half ounce brass bullet lead with a glass bead.

 

[Mrnab]

Thanks, just one more question. If i was to get a new rod intended for perch use could you suggest anything. willing to spend up to about £50.

 

[Another Dave]

I lack the experience to give you an exact recommendation but i would suggest an 8 footer and personally i would go as ultralight as possible, no more than a 15g rating, makes it more fun. There's a loads of LRF rods on Amazon, maybe just spend 25 - 30 quid and see if you like this type of fishing, then later on get a flash one and keep the cheap one for catching blennies when you're on holiday.

 

[Mrnab]

Shimano Alivio DX Spinning Rod | Angling Direct got my eyes on these, especially the 9 footer

 

[Another Dave]

Nice one, i would imagine they are as good as anything, Shimano presumably wouldn't put their name to rubbish.

 

[Finzky]

If you are beginner try to get yourself something like below:

Rod: Length: 2.1 - 2.3 meters with casting weight 1-12 g
Reel: 2000-3000 with shallow spool
Daiwa J-Braid X8 10lb braid (or suffix is good as well)

And then just play with the lures and spinners weight between 3-10 g

You can`t go wrong with this setup.

Good luck

 

[The Sogster]

If you do look for a new rod have a look at the Drennan spinflex rods, great value for money and nice to use.

Personally if there are any chance of pike I would always use a wire trace. Better to be safe than sorry.