''Big Perch, the ultimate Nomads.''

Although I have had a number of big Perch over the years, both on livebait and lures. One thing about these fish confounds me, and that is their ability to disappear. And that applies to water where normally they can be seen, ''Here today gone tomorrow''.

I have always held the belief, if I can locate 'em, I can catch 'em. But often the location turns out to be far harder than locating Pike has ''ever'' been. Despite having covered miles of water on both reservoirs, drains, gravel pits and rivers, canals being a particular favourite.

Has anyone else found this to be true?

I’ve always believed that they will range much further in the warmer months and hunt more actively so that on a pit you may need to cover a much larger area than you probably do on a canal/river. In the colder months, when they are less mobile and need less food, I’ve found that the fish are more likely to take maggots/caster and worms rather than lures/livebait...............

If there's one thing I have learned with bigger perch it's that rivers tend to have resident holding areas whereas stillwaters are, as you say, a case of location on the day.

Rightly or wrongly I put this down to the perch following large shoals of fry on stillwaters which I sometimes think drift around on the undercurrent, especially on larger waters.

Derek,

I do a lot of Perch fishing and follow one simple rule.

Find the silver fish and you find the Perch !!

Bob

Bob Hornegold said:

Derek,

I do a lot of Perch fishing and follow one simple rule.

Find the silver fish and you find the Perch !!

Bob

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I fish an intimate two-acre water for the big roach that live there (although the really big ones have eluded me so far) and the same place is home to plenty of perch, some topping three pounds. Inevitably, the perch intrude from time to time, but especially if my feeding has concentrated a shoal of the smaller roach. If the swim dies suddenly, a change to worm or prawn often results in a half-decent stripey, which bears out Bob's philosophy.

I've decided to change tack this winter (my first cold-weather fishing for several years) and give the perch my attention; a mouthwatering phone snap of a proper sergeant caught this autumn - unweighed, but simply enormous - has got me salivating at the gills. At least one rod with a big, perchy bait will be fished a few feet away from a little-and-often maggot-fed swim. Excuse me, I'm off to get the gear ready..........