Perch

Have not done for a long time. But fancy having a go for some perch and pike on these Jelly lures on both still waters and rivers.

What sort of rod should I look at? Already got a suitable reel in a bait runner.

Where to go in Hambleton area of North Yorkshire.

Hello Dalesman,
Rod choice depends on where you are going to fish, ie size of venue casting distance etc. Also you don't want a rod that will comfortably cast the lures you wish to use, too light a casting weight, and you could damage the rod on the cast, too heavy, and your casting distance will be impaired. Look for a rod with a casting weight from say 10 to 40 grams which will give you a wide enough scope for both Perch and pike as well as chub. A rod of about 8 foot should be long enough for most river lure fishing, I use an 8 ft rod for when I lure fish for chub/pike etc on the River Ribble, and it is adequate.Reel wise I wouldn't go too big unless you are using say a 400 size baitrunner reel, as you want to keep it all as light as possible. I use 35-50 lb braid with a short amnesia leader, or some Kryston flourocarbon then a 6 inch wire trace. This is of course just one of my lure fishing set ups, and I am sure someone else will give their thoughts on how they would go about this, so all info is good. Let me know how you get on.
Cheers
Chris.

Personally I would go lighter, especially if perch are your main target. A 1000 size reel loaded with 10lb braid connected to an 8lb mono leader. A rod casting up to 12 or 15 grams. A selection of jigheads between 3 grams (no wind) up to 10 grams (very windy). A heavier weight is needed when it's windy, to keep in touch with your lure.

I know it's contentious not to use a wire trace when there are pike in the water. I catch around 10 perch to every pike and of the 5 I've hooked in recent weeks I've landed each one, including a double figure one. I nip the barb on the jighead down though and reckon that the odd one I might lose will come to little harm.

The reason for the lighter tackle is that it's no fun casting for hours on end with heavy stuff wheras with lighter gear, it's a joy, and even a pound perch is great fun to catch.

Good luck but be careful, it's addictive!

I'm using a compact bait caster reel and light medium jig rod and its ideal for the job.

Still learning how to cast it properly but that's another story!

Ric Elwin said:

Personally I would go lighter, especially if perch are your main target. A 1000 size reel loaded with 10lb braid connected to an 8lb mono leader. A rod casting up to 12 or 15 grams. A selection of jigheads between 3 grams (no wind) up to 10 grams (very windy). A heavier weight is needed when it's windy, to keep in touch with your lure.

I know it's contentious not to use a wire trace when there are pike in the water. I catch around 10 perch to every pike and of the 5 I've hooked in recent weeks I've landed each one, including a double figure one. I nip the barb on the jighead down though and reckon that the odd one I might lose will come to little harm.

The reason for the lighter tackle is that it's no fun casting for hours on end with heavy stuff wheras with lighter gear, it's a joy, and even a pound perch is great fun to catch.

Good luck but be careful, it's addictive!

Click to expand...

Can I ask what you use as a trace material instead of wire?

Ta