Catch perch on prawns
THIS WEEK: Floatfish with prawns for a personal best perch
“I believe prawns are so good because they resemble a crayfish tail”
WE’RE approaching that time of year when perch become a realistic target on many commercial fisheries.
Why? Simply because those ravenous carp are finally slowing down, now that most parts of the country have seen a few frosts. And this means that you can use prawns to catch your best-ever stripey.
Even though carp will eat prawns, they won’t be so partial to them once the water temperature drops, which means the perch can finally get a look-in.
I believe prawns are so good because they resemble a crayfish tail, and perch love crayfish.
My favourites are the raw jumbo prawns that I get from the freezer compartment in Tesco.
They’re the perfect size, they can be cut up for feed or hookbait if you wish, and they are so much more effective than smaller ones.
FLOATFISH
There’s something magical about watching a float slide away as a big perch picks up the bait, so I always floatfish for them if I can.
If the lake is deeper than 7ft or so, I’ll use a float slider-style for ease of casting, with an inline olivette to cock it. A weight of 3g is about right, and there’ll be a couple of small dropper shot beneath the olivette and the hook.
The float is stopped above by a micro float stop, which will slide easily through the rod rings on the cast. Line of 4lb breaking strain and a through-action float rod makes playing even a 1lb perch an absolute pleasure.
BAIT AND FEED
If you are able to, fish close to a feature – by the branches of an overhanging tree, against some reeds or simply at the bottom of the nearside shelf. All these places will hold decent perch.
Loose-feed your swim with red maggots. These will attract small prey fish as well as perch.
Every now and then cut a few prawns in half and scatter them around the float – not too many, though, as they are quite filling!
A jumbo prawn on a size 8 hook will do the rest.