FOR CANAL PERCH YOU CAN’T BEAT WORMS ON A POLE
probably be close to snags. I’ll have walked the section first, looking for cover like this and suitable places where the perch can spawn.
I can also choose the time when I fish – afternoon through till dusk offers the best opportunities as the light starts to fade. I will, however, adopt a matchman’s attention to detail when it comes to plumbing up. The float will be set so only the lobworm touches bottom.
Once I’ve chosen my swim I’ll feed it with a pole cup for pinpoint accuracy. Chopped worms, casters and red maggots are my preferred offerings and I’ll start with a couple of payloads, topping up once I begin to get bites.
A good tip is to regularly lift the hookbait off the bottom so that it dances tantalisingly in front of the perch. However, if you’ve got your location correct it won’t be long before you get a bite, and I love the positive indication when a perch takes a big bait. The float bobs once and then simply glides away without further ado.
A perch taking a bait like this is rarely missed, and perhaps because I don’t pole fish much, the elastic pulling from the tip is a wonderful sensation. Many anglers fear that they won’t be able to control a big fish, but I can land them faster and more easily on a pole than on rod and line.
As you put a bag of canal perch together, the closed season slips from your mind – and the pole is definitely the best way to do it.