Improve Your Coarse Fishing (UK)
Rich Wilby
Big- fish hunter Rich Wilby reveals the two rigs and simple feeding trick that have caught him numerous specimen perch
Two rigs + three baits = perch galore
BOLD stripes. Spikey dorsal fin. Cavernous mouth. Only one species can boast these characteristics… perch.
One of the most striking freshwater creatures, small perch are often the first fish many anglers catch due to their greedy nature and the fact that even the smallest is capable of grabbing a double maggot hookbait.
Maybe this is why anglers of all disciplines have a fondness for the species. Come autumn, match, specimen, carp and general pleasure anglers will often turn their attentions to perch at some point over the following months. And Norfolk- based all- rounder Rich Wilby is no exception to the trend.
“I love loads of different styles of angling from stalking big carp to trotting a stick float for roach. But fishing a float for perch has to be right near the top. It’s such a great way to spend a few hours on the bank,” enthused Rich, when we joined him at a quiet Norfolk club water.
The venue ticked all the boxes for what you’d want for a perch fishing trip. Lots of marginal cover and overhanging trees, and it looked as if it didn’t suffer excessive angling pressure.
“The great thing about perch is that you can find them pretty much everywhere. They are one of those species that even if they haven’t been stocked in a lake still seem to get caught,” observed Rich.
“They are a species that thrives on neglect, though, so if there’s a quiet little lake or stretch of river that you know rarely gets fished, don’t be afraid to give it a go for perch. Chances are there’ll be a few decent fish there.”
Two simple rigs
Rich relies on two main tactics which cover the majority of scenarios he’s likely to face when targeting perch.
“My favourite is to catch perch on the float close in. Watching the float tip slide under and then counting to three before setting the hook is incredibly exciting,” said Rich.
A quick look at Rich’s float rig reveals how simple his set- up is. His mainline is tied directly to the hook and a slim- bodied pole float is fixed in place with two pieces of silicone tubing. A lobworm impaled on the hook completes the set- up.
“I’m essentially freelining the worm hookbait and the float is purely for bite indication. I went into my local tackle shop and asked for the most low- resistance pole float they had.
“Perch hate resistance and will drop the hookbait if they feel any. I don’t put any shot on the line and use the weight of the worm to plumb up. If I flick the rig out in the edge and the float pulls under I slide it up the line a few inches and cast out again. This process is repeated until the orange tip just breaks the surface.”
Rich’s float set- up is perfect for targeting perch in the margins, but when the fish are sat further out he puts his faith in a running rig.
Like his float set- up, simplicity is key. A lightweight square pear lead runs on the mainline above a buffer bead and swivel which the hooklength is then tied to.
“I use the lightest quivertip available and don’t set the line too tight so that the perch don’t feel any resistance when they pick up the hookbait,” said Rich.
The secret feeding weapon
If you can attract small prey fish into your swim, the chances are that perch won’t be far behind.
“As soon as I arrived and settled on this peg I threw in two big handfuls of red maggots. I then sorted out my rods and by the time I cast out the small silvers should’ve moved in,” he said.
A few maggots are then thrown over the top every cast, but Rich has another trick up his sleeve.
“A successful match angler who used to win many matches in the winter with perch once revealed to me that he put much of his success down to feeding the soil that the worms come in.
I feed a small nugget of soil every cast. Not only does it add a bit of colour to the water but
the soil is packed with worm attractors. I also like to create a bit of disturbance when predator fishing so the noise created by the small ball of soil hitting the water can help to draw perch from their cover,” he added.
The classic perch swim
It’s easy to see why Rich picked his peg. Overhanging trees provided marginal cover on either side, with dense vegetation on the left- hand side extending at least a couple of rodlengths into the water. It screamed perch.
“It can take a while to lure them out from cover. One thing I have noticed is that when you do hook a perch it can attract other perch. I think they see the erratic movements of the hooked perch and assume it is feeding on something. By quickly unhooking the fish and leaving it in the net while you get a baited rig back out you can often catch a couple in quick succession.”
But as he has proved today by catching a couple of perch further out on his quivertipped running rig, open water should never be ignored.
“On smaller waters, especially ones with shallow margins, many fish, including perch, will sit in the middle. Also, look for bait fish. If you’re not seeing any showing, then you’re probably in the wrong spot.”
With fish from under 1lb to just over 2lb coming to both tactics, Rich showed exactly how easy it can be to have a great day of perch action. Keep rigs simple, take a small selection of baits and think about location. Then it’s just a case of waiting for perch to strike!
“If you can attract small prey fish into your swim, big perch won’t be far behind”