Catching perch with a jig - tackle, choice of bait, tactics and fishing techniques

Catching perch with a jig can be especially effective in the second half of summer and during the fall, when the striped predator gathers in schools and begins to chase the fry along the surface. That is why many spinning anglers use jig baits during this period.

Observations have shown that it has a simply magical effect. This can be explained by the fact that when reeling this bait looks very natural, its movements resemble small fish - the main food of perch. In this article we will understand in detail how to catch perch with a jig, we will talk in detail about all aspects of such fishing and all its subtleties.

The classic jig can be used almost anywhere, be it fast-flowing rivers or ponds with standing water. Intense currents, deep holes, snags, and areas overgrown with grass will not become an obstacle to jig fishing.

Here it’s just the opposite - the peculiarity of the gear will allow you to more effectively explore such places. But in shallow water, using a jig is ineffective.

Tackle and equipment

When choosing gear for catching perch with jigs, you need to carefully approach each of its components. And although the most important element is the rod, the reel and line also play an important role.

Spinning

For fishing, a spinning rod with a medium or medium-fast action, preferably a plug type, is suitable. Its length is around 2.2-2.5 meters - for fishing at a considerable distance and 1.8-2.1 meters at close range. A big plus will be the movable top. It will allow you to provide the necessary control over the bait, as well as feel the slightest bite of the perch.

Its grip is not as powerful as that of other predators, so the rod must respond promptly to any contact of the fish with the bait. In addition, good shock absorption at the time of fishing is important, which will completely dampen the jerks of the fish, preventing it from falling off the hook. The spinning rod should be light, since jig fishing for perch at times involves numerous jerking retrieves.

Spinning test about 10-25 grams. This is quite enough to fish with equal success both shallow depths with slow currents with light baits, and areas with sharp changes in bottom relief and significant flow, using weighted sinkers.

Coil

The reel is only inertialess, size 2000-2500. Considering the use of jerk wiring, a mandatory requirement for it is the ability to lay the line evenly and a sensitive drag.

It is this that contributes to proper balancing of the tackle, and will also allow you to save bait when hooked and actively resisted by large fish. A power or high-speed reel is not needed here; rather, a universal option would be better suited. The coil reduction is usually 1:5.

In some cases, multiplier reels can be used to catch large perch at significant depths using heavy weights.

fishing line

As for the fishing line, it is best to use braid with a diameter of 0.1-0.12 mm, especially if you are fishing long-distance - from 25 meters or more. The use of mono fishing line, usually with a diameter of 0.18-0.2 mm, is justified in cases where you are fishing in difficult areas where the braid will quickly wear out. Or - when fishing at short distances up to 20 meters. Therefore, some anglers always try to have a spool with each type of fishing line.

A metal leash is not used for perch fishing; instead, a leash made of fluorocarbon fishing line will suffice.

Jig lures

Perch on jigs can be caught with equal success using almost all types of baits, but silicone ones remain in first place. In most cases, standard twisters and vibrating tails are used.

Twister is a typical jig bait that is in great demand among perch anglers.
The vibrotail is shaped exactly like a small fish. Vibrating tails with side notches are especially distinguished by their realistic behavior.

A large bait is not needed, generally it is up to 2-2.5 inches in length. If there is a targeted hunt for trophy perch, then the size of the bait increases to 3-3.5 inches.

Good results when catching perch are shown by “edible rubber”, which, due to its aromatization, looks more attractive to the striped predator, and often helps out when the perch is inactive.

Among all the listed types of baits, the following models are the most catchy, according to most anglers:

Reins Rockvibe Shad
Lucky John Tioga
Gary Yamamoto Tiny Ika
Jackall I Shad
Bait Breath Mosya
Keitech Swing Impact Fat 2-3
Manns Predator
Manns twister
Relax twister
Bass Assassin Curly Shads

If we talk about the colors of baits, then for catching perch in low-transparent water you can use bright colors; contrasting colors are especially attractive.

For fishing in clear water or closer to the surface, mostly less bright baits are used, the colors of the so-called “machine oil” - purple, blue, green, burgundy shades.

Also, do not forget about foam fish, which work very well in cold weather as a passive predator. Due to their extraordinary mobility, they are able to provoke the most sluggish predator to bite.

Especially good are foam rubber fish with hinged mounting to a Cheburashka sinker. Fishing can be more successful if you use flavorings.

Lures for catching perch with jigs

We have chosen the tackle, all that remains is to figure out which baits are capable of bringing maximum results for perch when fishing with jigs. Right now we will talk about what criteria you should pay attention to when choosing silicone for perch and consider several of the most catchy baits that kill perch even in the hands of inexperienced anglers.

Among today's variety of lures for catching perch, it is very difficult to choose something truly worthwhile. Store windows are simply littered with silicone baits - edible, inedible, twisters, vibrotails, worms, crustaceans, etc. And it’s better to remain silent about variations in colors and shapes. It will be very difficult for a spinning fisherman who has only recently become interested in this kind of fishing and wants to go to the river for perch to immediately guess and take the right baits.

The fact is that there are no special recommendations on the color or shape of the bait! There are simply catchy baits for perch, which can be yellow, green, red, twisters or vibrotails, or not catchable. And the best way to help you with your choice is to make a small top of fishing rubber for perch, which you can purchase for a successful start to fishing for stripers. And then you can experiment with other baits. So, here are the lures that have proven to cut down bass on every fishing trip and anywhere there are stripers.

Keitech Swing Impact Fat

Keitech Swing Impact Fat 2-3″. An edible vibrotail with a ribbed body that creates vibrations in the water that are attractive to perch.

The tail of a vibrating tail is a very mobile heel, which comes into play even with the slowest retrieve, irritating and provoking the predator to bite. The bait works great for perch, which often attacks it while falling or on pause. The best results are shown when the perch is not too active. It is worth noting one of the disadvantages of the bait - soft rubber, which very quickly becomes unusable. In everything else there are only advantages. Often the tail of the bait is bitten off, but even without it the Keitech Swing Impact continues to work. In addition to perch, the bait is often attacked by pike perch and pike, so be prepared for powerful bites. The bait has won a high level of trust among spinners and every experienced bass fisherman has one of these Keitech in their bait box. So if you're serious about bass hunting, this is a must-have lure. Below is a short video review of catching perch on a microjig using this silicone.

Megabass Rocky Fry Curly-Tail

Megabass Rocky Fry Curly-Tail.
A self-respecting bass fisher should have this twister from Megabass in large quantities. The bait is made of edible rubber and has unique movements and vibrations when retrieving, which is why the perch simply cannot let this bait pass by, always attacking it when it comes across it on its way. Another plus of the bait, which is so lacking in many other manufacturers, is its wear resistance.

The bait can withstand many bites from stripers, so the package will last a long time.

It is worth noting that the bait works great in all colors, but it is still worth highlighting the following: motsu, cherry shrimp, shrimp, which are most popular among anglers. A 2″ Curly-Tail works well for large bass, while a 1.5″ lure works well for small stripers. The fact that the bait is a little expensive is fully compensated by its durability. But you should be very careful with the bait during storage - when it comes into contact with other silicone baits, Curly-Tail melts, and when it comes into contact with its own kind, it sticks together strongly. The bait is worthwhile and definitely worthy of being in your fishing arsenal.

Vibrator Sawamura One'up Shad

Vibrating tail Sawamura One'up Shad. Among all the catchable baits for perch, it is difficult to choose a limited number of the best.

One of the excellent vibrator tails is not as famous as the previous ones, but believe me, the bait is worthwhile. Proof of this is its use at fishing championships by sports fishermen, and this already says a lot. In appearance, the bait resembles the usual prey of a predator - bleak or minnow.

This bait is more designed for catching active fish, since its game itself is not very active and rarely tempts a passive predator.

The tail of this vibrating tail practically does not turn on during a slow retrieve, but when fishing in the current or during sharp jerks, it emits vibrations and vibrations that are very attractive to the predator, provoking the latter to attack. The bait, like most modern catchable baits made of silicone, is made of edible rubber and has a very attractive smell to fish.

The bait is available in a wide range of sizes 2-5″ (5-15 cm) and in each size it does its job perfectly against a different predator. A 2-inch bait is ideal for catching perch, and larger ones can be used to catch pike, pike perch, and sometimes catch catfish and asp. Of course, due to the fact that a large bait is simply incredibly catchy for large predators, it is more often used for catching pike and pike perch, but the Sawamura One'up Shad in size 2″ will give you a large number of perch bites.

Vibrating tail Keitech Easy Shiner

Vibrating tail Keitech Easy Shiner. This is one of those baits that are hard not to catch fish with. She literally catches the predator for the angler, all by herself.

In appearance, the bait is unremarkable - uniform, seemingly the most common shape, without any features. But at the sight of this bait, perch, pike perch and pike line up!

The bait is made of edible silicone and is available in 3″ and 4″ sizes. For the most part, pike and pike perch will go with a 4-inch bait, but perch will go well with a 3-inch bait.

Experienced spinning anglers select bait in light green, purple and blue colors, but they advise trying other colors on each body of water, since often a different color works better on each river or lake. Whatever you say - a catchy bait, there is a catchy bait and there is little to add to it.

Reins Rockvibe Shad

Reins Rockvibe Shad. And finally, another bass killer from Reins - Rockvibe Shad.

A bait with an easily recognizable and unique shape - a body divided into several segments, a ribbed tail and a narrow heel at the end. The bait is one of the favorites of experienced fishermen, because it works flawlessly against perch. The excellent playing tail of the bait brings perch bites on almost every retrieve, and the hard rubber from which the vibrating tail is made makes this bait very durable.

Regarding color, it is difficult to give an unambiguous recommendation, since a survey of owners of this bait showed that everyone has their own favorite color of the bait and they vary significantly.

So, one says that the best color is 021 (pink), and the other argues that the best option is the bait in color 002 (green pumpkin). So, most likely it’s not the color of the bait at all, but its unique shape and game. Although, one can also argue about the second one, since the bait is often attacked even when lying motionless on the bottom. In general, this is another bait that should be in your box. Many fishermen, having bought this bait, catch it with 1-3 casts! That is, you must understand how effective it is for perch! Well, in addition to perch, pike, pike perch, chub and asp are caught on this vibrotail. These are the 5 effective baits for perch that catcher.fish offers you to purchase. I hope the descriptions, photos and videos prove their effectiveness, but still, it’s better to check each of the proposed baits personally, you won’t regret it!

Selection of jig heads

If we talk about choosing a jig head for perch, then we pay attention to the size of the hook, its weight and shape.

The size of the hook is selected based on the size of the bait - here you need to take into account that the sting is brought out
Weight – depending on casting distance, fishing depth and current strength. However, most often a jig head weighing up to 10-12 grams is sufficient; less commonly, 20-25 grams are used

As for the shape, 2 types are most often used for perch - a ball and a boot. The ball is used most often, providing reliable performance in most cases. It is well suited for fishing in deep water or strong currents.

The boot found its use for fishing in the bottom layers, because Thanks to its streamlined shape, it makes it easy to avoid snags.

In addition to those listed, a separate streamlined sinker and a sinker with eyes, called a Cheburashka, can be used.

When fishing with a Cheburashka sinker, it is recommended to use a single hook or a double, connecting them to the sinker through two winding rings. This way the bait will look more natural.

Also, jig heads are available with or without a pre-mounted hook, but with special fastenings for the hook, fastener and swivel.

Rules and differences between heavy and light jigs

In heavy (heavy) jigs, weight heads weighing 45, 50 or more grams are used. It is suitable for fishing sections of rivers with strong currents and decent depth. When fishing with heavy jigs, standard jigs are used.

Particularly appropriate would be stepped retrieving, uniform retrieving with pauses and periodic jerks with the tip of the rod, as well as dragging the bait along the bottom. A fish weighing up to one and a half kilograms when caught with a heavy jig, which uses very powerful rods, is often simply not felt by the angler while playing.

Also, a bite may go unnoticed, since it is not always delivered to the hand when fishing with a heavy jig. When fishing with a multiplier, you should pass the line between your fingers, and if you use a spinning reel, you need to carefully monitor the tip of the rod and the movement of the line.

Fishing with a light jig (light jig), which involves the use of weights weighing about 7-21 grams, is very dynamic. The size of trophies, as a rule, ranges from 200-300 grams to one and a half kilograms.

When fishing with light jigs on lakes and reservoirs, problems usually do not arise: standard jigs are used, the main thing is to choose the right weight of the load. But fishing in a decent current can be difficult, since light jig heads are simply carried away by the flow of water. In this case, you can use a more compact sinker (tungsten instead of lead), use lead rigs instead of conventional jig heads, and fish with smaller (narrower) baits that do not sail as much as larger ones.

Read Salmon Fishing

In most situations, step retrieving must be done in such a way that the time the bait falls is the standard 2-3 seconds. To achieve this when fishing with a light jig, you often have to reduce the number of revolutions of the reel handle made at a time.

Types of equipment

When jig fishing for perch, depending on the activity of the fish and fishing conditions, several types of equipment can be used. Each of them involves the use of a standard set - a swivel, a fastener, a hook and the bait itself.

Classic equipment

This equipment option is the simplest. It uses a jig head with a hook, which is passed through the bait, and the sting is brought out in the center from the back.

Using a fastener, the jig head is attached to the main line, although some do without a fastener, simply tying directly. This design is used for fishing in areas with a hard bottom, without any obstacles.

Hinged mounting on Cheburashka

For this type of equipment you need Cheburashka sinkers. A double, triple or offset hook is attached to the sinker, onto which the bait is attached.

Retractable leash

This widely known option, also called the “Moscow rig,” is as follows: a sinker is tied to the end of the main line, and at a distance of 30-50 cm above it, a leash with bait is tied to the main line.

This installation method is used in cases where long-distance casting is required, which is achieved through the use of a heavy sinker. It shows fairly good results when fishing during periods of low perch activity.

Drop shot

This method has been used relatively recently. Practically, this is the same retractable leash, with the only difference being that the bait is attached to the main line directly, without the use of a leash.

The peculiarity of this installation is that the sinker remains at the bottom, and the action of the bait is ensured by vertical swings of the rod. After some time, the equipment is pulled closer to you, after which the game is repeated again. As you can see, its obvious advantage is the natural game, as well as the ability to fish in fast currents.

Texas rig

With this equipment option, the hook with bait is tied to the end of the fishing line, and a special clamp is mounted in front of it. On the main line, above the clamp, there is a sliding sinker.

This type of equipment is used for fishing in difficult, snag areas where there is a high risk of snagging with conventional equipment.

Carolina rig

This option practically copies the previous one, the only difference is that the bait is not tied directly to the main line.

A swivel is attached to the main line, and a leash made of fluorocarbon line with bait is attached to it. Used for fishing in clean areas of the reservoir.

Split shot

This option is a bait tied to the end of the main line, and above it there is a stationary sinker, usually round in shape.

The obvious advantages of such equipment include the simplicity of its design and the ability to catch perch well in the water column. It also works well when wiring by drawing, because... This type of installation allows you to play the bait in one place.

When to catch

They catch perch using jigs throughout the entire period of open water, although the performance varies depending on the season. It is very effective in early spring, when rising water levels and strong currents prevent the use of light baits. Jig just allows you to explore all the secluded places where the fish are kept. At this time, perch are caught throughout the day.

In summer, jig is less effective; microjig is mainly used, since during this period perch prefers the smallest baits on light weights. They are caught only early in the morning and in the evening hours.

But with the onset of autumn, jig almost takes first place. This is especially evident in catching trophy perch, which tries to stay in hard-to-reach places, attacking the fry from there, rather than chasing it throughout the entire reservoir.

Smaller perch gather in huge schools and catching them is not difficult. The main thing is to identify the area where the entire flock is currently hunting, accurately cast the bait and select suitable wiring. Effective fishing continues almost throughout the fall.

And if initially in the fall the perch continues to feed more intensively in the morning and evening, then over time it switches to hunting mode throughout the day.

Spinning rods for catching perch with jigs

To catch perch with a jig, it is optimal to use a stepped bait retrieve. This wiring arouses the greatest interest in the striped predator and is the richest in its bites.

Each fisherman has his own technique for performing such a retrieve, but its essence lies in one thing - it is necessary to achieve such a movement of the bait so that it comes off the bottom and falls on it again. A perch bite can occur at the moment of a fall or pause, or less often, at the moment the bait lifts off the bottom.

This wiring is very easy to achieve. After casting the bait, wait until it touches the bottom. After this, make 2-3 turns of the coil and stop. The pause may last 1-3 seconds, after which you repeat 2-3 turns of the coil again. In this way, guide the bait all the way to the shore or boat.

You can supplement the technique with various twitches, accelerations, increasing or shortening pauses - this depends on your imagination and comes with experience. Depending on how the predator behaves, you can choose a more active or passive step, increasing the likelihood of a bite.

In addition to the step, you can also use uniform wiring. This is the simplest wiring, which simply requires uniform rotation of the coil. With each cast, you can change the speed of the retrieve, selecting the optimal one. If the perch starts to bite at a certain fishing speed, you should choose this option.

Uneven wiring - carried out by accelerating and decelerating the rotation of the coil. You can twitch the bait a little by making small jerks with the tip of the rod.

Dragging along the bottom is used when using various passive edible baits for catching perch. Retrieving involves slowly dragging the bait along the bottom of the reservoir with various movements of it using the tip of the rod.

No tail, no scales!

Types of wiring and fishing tactics

There are several main methods of casting bait used when catching perch with jigs. The fisherman must master each of them perfectly in order to experimentally find out which one is preferable on different bodies of water.

Uniform wiring

It represents uniform guiding of the bait when it moves without pauses, hesitations, deviations to the sides and without changing the depth of fishing. In this case, you need to determine the wiring speed at which bites will occur. Used for catching active perch.

This type of bait is used when fishing in spring and summer at depths of up to 3 meters, in the area of snags, dense vegetation and significant changes in relief, where other fishing can lead to hooks.

Uneven

Accelerated rewinding alternates with sharp decelerations. The bait moves in waves, periodically plunging. This method is good for catching passive perch.

Stepped

In this case, the sinker is allowed to sink to the bottom, followed by several sharp rotations of the reel, during which the bait jerks higher. In this way, the entire fishing area is examined. It works well in the fall at great depths, and also when perch becomes less active as the temperature drops.

Drawing

This kind of wiring is often used when fishing with edible rubber, mostly with classic twisters. The bait is slowly pulled along the bottom, occasionally twitching to the sides with the tip of the rod.

The retrieving speed is slow, periodically they try to lead the bait, simply dragging it with a rod, and then picking up the slack in the fishing line by rotating the reel. At the same time, you can experiment with the pace of the drive and even change the direction of movement.

Dragging works well when catching passive predators, as well as trophy perch, which may be cautious for certain reasons. The main thing here is a clean bottom and the patience of the fisherman.

How to catch

You can use any fishing techniques and tactics, since there are no universal options that are always equally effective.

To begin with, it is recommended to check two main ways to attract the attention of a perch in a pond:

Uniform wiring, which is achieved by reeling in the working line at a stable speed and without making pauses. There are no deviations from the path or oscillations to the side in this case, but the predator still reacts to the bait, since its behavior is natural.
Uneven wiring can be done in different ways; the easiest way is to periodically take short pauses when winding the fishing line. Slowdowns during movement and vibrations with different amplitudes can become a signal for a predator, which will provoke it to attack.

Hooking and landing

A bite when jig fishing for perch looks like a series of pokes, after which the tackle may begin to shake slightly. It happens that the perch hooks itself, and the vibration makes it clear that the fish is already on the hook.

If you are fishing with regular, unscented baits, then hooking should follow immediately. If using edible rubber, then after the bite you need to wait for from a few to ten seconds and then hook. Now all that remains is to carefully bring the fish to the shore or boat.

Small perch walk with virtually no resistance, while large ones resist with all their might. Try not to force the fish, reel in the line smoothly and do not make sudden jerks, because in most cases this leads to the fish disappearing.

Advantages of jig

Using jig tackle and lures to catch perch, the angler actually opens up a wide range of possibilities for himself. Of all the advantages and features of this method of fishing, the following can be highlighted:

You can easily fish areas of different depths and with different current strengths
Remote places that seem promising to the fisherman are no longer inaccessible for casting and fishing
Special equipment will help you easily fish the most difficult areas
You can select baits designed to catch only large perch
Jig baits are very effective, but at the same time they are mostly inexpensive and come in a wide variety of sizes, colors and flavors.
The types of bait postings used do not require any special skills and are quite easy for anyone to learn

It is much easier to comprehend all the nuances of fishing if you do everything measuredly and methodically. At times, in order to interest a predator, you have to make more than one cast to the same point. It also happens that areas that at first glance seem empty, suddenly turn out to be the site of a large flock of predators.

Choosing a jig head

The choice of jig bait is determined by the preferences of the perch in a particular area, as well as the fishing season. Experienced fishermen advise taking with you an arsenal of different baits to choose the appropriate and most effective option. High catchability is observed in artificial worms. Don't discount the twister or vibrotail.

Types of micro jig baits

On average, the size of a jig bait varies between 3-6 cm. If there is no bite for a long time, we reduce the size and observe the behavior of the perch. The color of the bait is determined by the fishing conditions:

If we are fishing in shallow water or clean and clear water, we use yellow, brown and green bait colors and a translucent body structure.
If the pond has muddy water, choose a bright and acidic color to help attract predators. In this case, white, green and yellow colors perform better.
Deep-sea fishing does not determine the color of the jig bait, since in such conditions it is almost impossible for a predator to see the bait. The degree of catchability is determined by the game demonstrated and the plausibility of the actions performed.