The ultimate rig to catch a big perch
Worm, prawn or maggot hookbaits over a bed of feed is how I go about catching them
THERE are probably more big perch in our stillwaters now than at any other time in living memory.
The good news is, they are present in a wide variety of waters – anywhere from small commercial fisheries to huge gravel pits – so most anglers will have somewhere fairly close to them where they can try for a really special fish.
So where do you find them? Like many predators, perch like to take advantage of any available cover to ambush prey, so my initial approach is to fish close to features. Overhanging trees or old reedbeds are my first choice, as they always hold a fish or two, but areas where there is a significant change in depth – such as a marginal shelf – are also good spots to target.
GO NATURAL WITH BAITS
My preferred approach to catching perch is to leger worms, prawns or maggots over a bed of bait consisting of red maggots, casters and chopped worms.
I introduce the bait in various ways, depending on prevailing conditions and whether or not there are lots of small fish present.
If there are too many roach, rudd and even small perch in a stillwater they will intercept a lot of bait as it falls through the water column.
In this case I will use a traditional bait dropper, which deposits the bait directly on to the lakebed.
If small fish aren’t present in large numbers, though, I feed by hand if I’m fishing close in.
For feeding further out (up to about 15 yards) I use a catapult, and further out still I use a small Spomb, as a carp angler would.
The key with feeding is to try and bait a fairly small area so that any perch feeding on your free offerings will never be far from your hookbait.
LOW RESISTANCE
Light Avon-style rods are perfect for perch fishing, and I like to fish them in conjunction with bite alarms.
Perch don’t respond well to bolt rigs, so I like to fish with light bobbins set on a long drop of at least 12ins to offer as little resistance as possible to any perch taking my bait.
My rig is really simple, and consists of a feeder bead on 6lb mainline. The feeder bead is stopped with a Korum Durabead that allows me to change hooklinks very easily.
This is important – I like to be able to switch baits regularly because perch will often show a distinct preference for one type of bait.
I vary between lobworms, dendrobaenas, raw prawns and maggots. These are best presented on different sized hooks, hence the need to change hooklinks.
HOW TO FEED
I normally start a session by introducing about half-a-pint
“Despite its somewhat clumsy appearance a bait dropper does not scare a shoal of perch”
of bait and then casting over it using a lead rather than a feeder. A lead offers far less resistance on striking, however, the feeder bead allows me to switch to a feeder should I want to add further bait. I like 20g Preston Quickload feeders that create little disturbance when casting and striking.
When they’re feeding well, perch can eat a lot of bait so it makes sense to keep the swim topped up regularly. Despite its somewhat clumsy appearance I have found a bait dropper does not scare a shoal of feeding perch.
Nonetheless, try to keep disturbance to a minimum by casting it slightly past your swim, feathering it as it lands, and then drawing it back to the spot where you want it to open.
AVOID SPOOKING
The rig I use offers little resistance, and most bites see the bobbin rise steadily. I like to strike just before the bobbin reaches the rod.
Perch are easily spooked if a hooked fish sheds the hook, so try to lead a hooked perch away from the baited area as soon as possible.
Perch fishing is one of very few occasions when I use a keepnet, because returned fish are likely to scare the rest of the shoal.
Alternatively, it may be possible to release any perch you catch well away from your swim.