How and with what to catch large perches

Date: March 26, 2021 |

Perch is very common. In many places, catching a striped predator does not present any particular difficulties. But we are talking, as a rule, about small and medium-sized perches, up to 300 - 500 g maximum. This is all very interesting, but any angler, having gained experience, dreams of consistently catching large perches, from 800 g and well over a kilogram. Large perch , like many other large individuals of other breeds, is a special case. Their behavior, habitats, habits are very different from the general mass of representatives of the species. In this review I want to share my observations and experience of catching the largest striped predators. Having gained this knowledge, you will be able to pick up the keys to the biggest perches.

From a certain point, the perch slows down its growth in length and begins to grow in height and thickness. This is how the hump on the back is formed. For this, the respectable striped individual received nicknames: humpback, humpback. The capture of a real humpback whale is considered especially honorable in the fishing community. There is a serious gap in the status of the catch here, because you won’t surprise anyone with an average perch.

Large perches stay in small groups. It’s hard to even call it flocks. While diving I had the opportunity to observe large humpback whales in pairs, threes, and fives. Once I saw six large individuals together, but two were smaller. I often observed a picture when a concentration of perch up to 100 g remained on the shallows. Below, on the coastal dump, 2 - 3 schools of medium-sized perches wandered, and below them, on the lower part of the dump, stood a group of real serious fish. It’s as if the teachers took the kindergarten group out for a walk and were vigilantly watching them. But here they, rather, were not watching their young, but tracking down the fry. It’s just that the area turned out to be diverse and attracted perches of different generations at the same time.

By the way, a small striped one can easily become a victim of a large individual. Like most aquatic predators, they have developed cannibalism.

Where to look for humpback salmon on the river

The easiest way to find large striped fish is in rivers, especially in large ones that form a basin and their first-order tributaries. It was possible to catch respectable individuals in small rivers, but this is a curiosity. Still, for big fish, big water.

Where to look for a humpback whale in the river? Small bass gravitate towards the coastal zone with sparse algae, a sandy bottom and a slow current. Average perch can be found in slightly deeper places. Its flocks move along the same grassy shallows, along their far edge, where the depth already exceeds 1.5 - 3 m. The middle fish are also widely found near steep banks, on the two upper steps of the slope into the riverbed.

Against this background, the humpback fish strives to occupy deeper places. Due to its tall body, it does not like to stay in fast currents. Tries to hide behind obstacles at the bottom, away from the main stream. So, it’s pointless to look for it directly in the mainstream. Perhaps only on the slopes of the dumps, where there is something to hide behind. Bottom ledges, snags, and boulders are good places where you can find any large river fish, including humpback whales. If you have identified such a point using an echo sounder or found it with a spinning rod, pay special attention to it and note the landmark for the future.

Solid specimens like to stay in niches on steep banks, in reverse or slow currents. Large perches stick to the bottom. If the medium ones are regularly found on the shallows, where they raid for the fry, then the large fish almost never leave the bottom. Getting to a depth of 1.5 - 2 m is already a rarity. The exception is small bodies of water in wild northern places. There, large individuals can be found in modest rivers and lakes, where there are generally no depths greater than 2.5 - 3 m. In small reservoirs of densely populated areas, they are simply not allowed to grow to such dimensions. There is not enough food supply, there is serious fishing pressure.

Lures

All types of lures for catching large perch should not be small in size. The size of baits should be either medium or relatively large. Of course, you should not use giant-sized spoons, as when catching large pikes. But there is no need to install very small turntables or twisters. Small fish will peck at them and thereby distract you from catching perch of the desired size.

The spinner has always been considered a perch spoon. Such baits always work well for perch. And in a big way, too. You just need to choose larger baits. Otherwise, there is a chance of catching small fish instead of humpback whales.

Twisters and vibrotails are also good for catching large perch. Lure sizes are medium or large. A large perch will undoubtedly attack even a fairly large artificial fish, even when it seems that it will not fit into its mouth. In cluttered places, offset hooks work well, making these baits a kind of “unhooked hook”.

Wobblers always catch fish well and large perch too. It is preferable to use a medium wobbler size, 5-6 cm long. And you definitely need to select the depth if you plan to fish at depth. Topwater poppers work well when big bass come out to feed in the shallows and hunt small fish close to the surface of the water.

In thickets of grass and reeds, an ordinary medium-sized oscillating spoon in the “non-snag” design works very well. It is especially good at fishing in thick reeds, where most other baits cannot be properly passed through the grass thickets.

Natural fish attached to a tackle has always been and remains a good bait, often replacing all spinners. In addition to large perch, pike often take this bait.

Also in deep places it is practiced to catch perch using tackle with a retractable leash. A fairly heavy sinker is attached to the lead and slides along the bottom, while the main lead with the bait goes behind at a short distance from the bottom. The bait in this case is usually a small wobbler.

You can catch large perch with a balance beam and a vertical spoon all year round. Of course, it is preferable to fish from a boat and in deep places. In shallow waters, normal fishing with such gear will not work. It is especially good when the boat is carried by a slight breeze, and the fisherman has the opportunity to move in the boat across the pond, fishing all the necessary territory, without making any effort to row or touching the oars.

Read: Catching perch with ultralight

Large perch in lakes

On lakes, humpback whales also stay at medium and deep depths. If the lake is deep, then schools of perch concentrate on dumps near the shore, where the depths are still in the same range, on the verge of 4 m. In shallow lakes, bays and oxbow lakes, they stick to the deepest areas. Try to avoid thick algae. They prefer sparse driftwood at the bottom.

Frequent bites of good perch in lakes occur on the lower part of the coastal dump or on some relief anomalies further from the shore.

• near flooded trees;
• in the vicinity of underwater mounds and spots;
• near old river spits (if the lake was once part of the river).

Where to look for perch in winter

The first point that is worth paying attention to is that the appearance of perches should not be expected in one place, that is, on one hole. Of course, sometimes fishermen get lucky and, having just broken a hole in the ice, they encounter a school of fish. But here, as they say, the grandmother was guessing in two. Therefore, our goal is to contribute to the maximum catch of perch on the lake in winter, giving you all the necessary knowledge and skills for this.

Perch is constantly swimming somewhere, driven by a feeling of hunger. And those fishermen who love to catch active perches in winter will confirm that it is a very exciting activity. After all, active perch in winter grab bait with lightning speed, with amazing greed, without really understanding what it consists of.

But with passive perch, the search tactics on the river are different. And then you’ll have to give him a little nightmare. And for this you need to do this:

• correct selection of bait;
• choosing the right type of wiring;
• experiment with the fishing line, and instead of 0.14 diameter, set it to 0.12 mm.

It happens that in order to find a perch in winter you will have to drill more than one hole, or even ten... and walk the same number of kilometers along icy roads.

A huge number of fishermen profess the dogma about the chaotic movements of perches in the water column. However, this is not true. After all, perch, like any fish, has its own places. He stands there and comes there for feeding.

The predator also has favorite routes of movement from one end of the reservoir to the other. And there are plenty of favorite places for perches.

True, they may depend on:

• seasons;
• weather conditions;
• relief features of reservoirs.

Fishing time can be roughly defined as three periods:

• first ice;
• wilderness;
• last ice.

Search during migration period

The fact is that throughout the winter, fish tend to frequently change their favorite places in which they feed or simply stand. And to get to them, a school of fish is ready to swim for quite a long time. This is the “great migration”. Well, frequent changes of location throughout the day are common for a school of fish.

But this “small migration” performed by the predator every day is influenced by factors such as:

1. Extensive food supply.
2. Weather.

If snags are visible from the water in the fishing area, it’s worth fishing here!

Migration and settlement of fish on the first ice

You can catch perch after the first ice appears on reservoirs in the same places as at other times of the year. However, it is best to fish under the ice in coastal areas. Here, even at half-meter depths, you can perfectly catch both trophy humpback whales and 200-300 gram specimens.

When choosing a fishing location, choose the following places:

• not far from the coast;
• near snags protruding from bodies of water;
• near bushes, frozen and fallen trees, etc.;
• near sunken snags and grass;
• near steps and in places of sharp changes in depth in the range of half a meter to a meter, as well as in places where the bottom is uneven.

In winter, it is in such places that perch lives, being constantly hungry and therefore aggressive.

Fishing on one hole, either in a familiar place or in an unfamiliar body of water, makes sense within ten minutes. If during this time the bite has not started, you should change the hole. This should be done until you meet a school of fish.

And don’t rush to write off the old holes. During the time that you were fishing in other places, the flock could easily go to the first hole. And it happens that even in the most attractive places the perch does not want to bite. Therefore, it makes sense to return some time later.

Where to look for perch in the wilderness

In the last two months of winter, you need to look for perch using a different strategy based on the change in the habitat of this fish. During the dry winter period, it slows down its activity. It hardly moves and sits out in the depths, where there is grass, stones, snags, and other bottom relief.

And if almost the entire year the predator is attracted to playing with bait at a distance of several tens of meters, then during the deep winter this trick does not work.

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Yes, and during this period it’s worth looking for a “striped fish” within a much smaller radius. Therefore, it makes sense to drill holes no more than a two-meter distance from each other. And at this time you will almost have to put the bait into the fish’s mouth. Then you can count on at least some semblance of a bite.

And, by the way, the found perch needs to be pampered with complementary foods. To do this, take a jig or a feed bloodworm. In this case, the food must be of animal origin.

Read how to catch perch in February and what gear is best to use.

Three ways to improve the bite

The rich practical experience of fishermen has made it possible to identify a number of methods for improving the bite, including:

1. Bite activators are additives using pheromones that strongly attract perch. They are effective at any water temperature.
2. Ultra-sensitive gear.
3. Lures with pheromones can attract perch, causing it to have an excellent appetite and develop a schooling reflex. As a result, the fish travel in schools, which provides the opportunity for a good catch.

Well, you can understand other secrets of improving the bite by reading thematic publications on our website.

Where to look for perch on the last ice

The search at the end of winter should be carried out in the same way as on the first ice. As the ice melts, perch tries to huddle close to the shores. Gradually, it will now retreat to its natural habitat.

And since with the arrival of spring there is more oxygen in the water, then the fish, as its consumer, become more active. Consequently, holes need to be drilled over an area ten times larger. Although the search for perch at this time becomes easier compared to the middle of winter.

Where to look for a predator in winter when it migrates across a body of water

You need to look for perch constantly, and especially in an unfamiliar body of water. And therefore, all the “fishy” places need to be caught tirelessly. Well, having found a “cool” place, drill a dozen holes at once about fifteen meters from each other. As a rule, they are made according to the principle of a chessboard.

And after creating ten of them, fish the holes here, allocating ten minutes to each of them.

If you are looking for an active predator, you should drill holes every ten to fifteen meters. After all, active perch come to play with bait and from long distances.

If you start searching from the shore, but there is no bite yet, go in the direction of the river bed, while the holes should be made according to the same chess principle and at the same (10–15 meters) distance.

In the case when a perch is found, but there is no bite and it simply rams the bait, this is great. After all, the fish has been found and now you can experiment with a spinner, jig, balancer and bait.

And if the bite is good, you can fish until it fades away. And when this happens, it’s time to go searching again. But at the same time, you need to look into old holes again from time to time, because experience says that fish often return there.

And the holes are often fished with a balancer. It can attract predators from the longest distances. And if the fish comes, then you need to act according to the situation and with an eye on the intensity of the bite. If it is absent, or often goes idle, you should take a less weighty bait.

Time of year and day

As you know, the striped predator is awake all year round and favorably perceives cool water. On the contrary, the summer heat and water warmer than 18 - 20 degrees put him into a stupor. So for targeted fishing for large perch, you should choose winter, autumn and spring. Captures do occur in the summer, but mostly in bad weather, when it gets cold, or at dawn.

Large perches bite well in the spring before spawning and in the fall, during feeding before winter. Impressive humpback whales can also be seen from under the ice. However, there are fewer days with active biting in winter, and the fish are more capricious to weather changes. It is not always easy to spot where a humpback whale is standing. Together with all the inhabitants of the river, he goes to the wintering pits, but does not stand in them directly. Wanders along the slopes and walks along plateaus with medium depths in the vicinity of the pit.

As for the time of day, morning is preferable in spring or autumn. Not always early. There are bites at dawn and can continue until lunch. It can bite quite well even at dawn. Cloudy or rainy weather may occur throughout the day. In winter, you don’t have to worry about time. They catch throughout the entire short light period.

Weather

Like many predatory fish in our fresh waters, large perches are particularly active and aggressive during prolonged cyclones. In the language of ordinary people - in bad weather. When the pressure dropped and stabilized. When there is low cloudiness, it is windy and raining.

It is in this weather that you should go fishing for large perches. If you fail to meet schools of humpback whales, then somewhere nearby you will definitely be able to get hold of a pike. Zubataya also loves such weather conditions.

In cool weather it bites well in sunny weather and on foggy mornings.

Big perch on a spinning rod

The most popular way to catch humpback salmon using artificial bait is with a spinning rod. This tackle is for sports. You can go through a wide range of decoys and choose the one that will work for large perch today.

Since the predator rarely exceeds 2 kg in weight, gear of moderate power is taken for specialized perch fishing. The requirements for strength are dictated rather by the need to deal with snags on snags.

Perch is often caught near steep river-bed drops, simply with a jig or a diverting leash. There you have to use sinkers weighing 20 g and above. So the spinning rod must have a suitable test range. For example, 10 – 35, 15 – 40 g. If the depths in the fishing areas are moderate and you plan to use jigs and other baits without spaced rigs, then choose lighter rods. For example, 3 – 15g, 5 – 25g.

If the set of baits is dominated by spinners and wobblers, then choose rods with a medium action. If you plan to focus on jigs and jerking baits, then choose a fast spinning rod.

The size of the coils is selected average: 2000 - 3000. The cord is 8 - 12 lb. If the place is snarled, then it can be thicker. If you are fishing in a lake that is clear of snags, then monofilament 0.18 - 0.25 mm is quite suitable.

The topic of a leash for a perch spinning rod is quite complex and painful. The fact is that large perch is a cautious fish. It is advisable to use fluorocarbon undergrowth. Its length is 1 - 2 m. Section is 0.16 - 0.22 mm. At the same time, in many reservoirs the striped fish lives in the same areas where a lot of pike are found. Frequent bites by toothed predators lead to cuts of gear and loss of bait. So, make the difficult choice of introducing metal leashes individually. Of course, it will not increase the chances of seducing a seasoned perch. If you are fishing with inexpensive silicone baits and have a rigid focus on humpback salmon, you will neglect the metal leash. If they want to catch any worthy predator, and there are really a lot of pike, then they use a neat leash made of thin string or soft metal cord.

Main lures:

• spinners
• wobblers
• silicone

As for oscillating spoons, good perches can also be caught on them. But somehow they are associated more with pike. It is when catching catfish using spoons that incidental bites from humpbacks occur.

The problem with hunting big bass is cutting off the small and medium-sized ones. Small minke whales are much more voracious and less careful than seasoned ones. So you need to somehow shift the emphasis, and choose bait purely for humpback whales. This is done by simply increasing the size of the bait. Turntables are chosen starting from No. 3 or even No. 4 and more. The oscillating spoons are taken wide, at least 8 - 10 cm long. The same applies to wobblers. They try not to use less than 9–12 cm. Silicone is used at least 3 inches, and preferably 4 - 5 inches. Rubber of 10 cm is already a good argument that will cut off small things. Medium perch will be caught, but much less often.

Small and medium-sized perches have been noticed to love high-frequency play of baits, frequent pauses and short step-by-step retrieves. It is advisable to give the trompe l'oeil an impulsive, ragged, sharp game. From experience I can say that with age, the perch will lose its craving for this behavior of baits. So, you should work smoothly, slowly, without sudden movements.

If you are fishing with a spinner with a core, then let it fall to the bottom and move it very slowly, closer to the contour of the bed. Ideally, the bait will periodically cling to the bottom soil with its petal, get knocked down, then rise a little and start again. It is especially epic to feed the spoon to the middle of the drop and guide it down along the contour of the edge. If you manage to select the speed of the retrieve and feel the passage of the bait above the very bottom, then a bite is guaranteed. The main thing is that the desired fish is in the area. Whoever is standing under the contour of the dump will bite. It can be not only humpback, but also pike perch, pike, chub, and catfish. Even a large peaceful fish may not be able to withstand such a spinner coming out right under its nose.

Various shapes of wobblers are suitable for large perches. I would highlight medium and large minnow wobblers. Working depths are chosen in two ranges: 1.5 - 2 m and 3 - 4 m. It is advisable to choose natural, silver colors. Shad and crankbait wobblers work well. Including colors like perch and crucian carp.

Really large perch are practically never caught using surface baits. Medium striped fish bite very well on poppers and walkers and regularly rise to the surface. Fish weighing around a kilogram or more rarely rise to the surface.

Almost any shape is suitable for silicone baits:

• vibrotails
• twisters
• slugs
• worms
• crayfish
• hybrids

Particularly interesting is catching large perches with slugs and silicone crayfish. Crayfish is a voluminous bait with different limbs and appendages. Such a massive snag is attractive to striped fish because crayfish are a common food.

The silicone should be applied along the very bottom or near it. Smooth dragging along the ground, plowing the bottom with a weight, raising a cloud of turbidity works well. A good retrieve is short jumps along the bottom, interspersed with pauses. Classic stepped wiring is also used.

Conditions

I usually place summer flyer gliders near thickets of water lilies and hornworts. The best places for catching large perch and pike are windows and gaps in the vegetation in the form of channels. Pike here go to their hunting grounds or stand in ambush. And perch here chase their own kind, but smaller in size. Moreover, the girder, as a tackle, is initially designed for the fact that the fishing line will be inserted into the grass by a predator. Therefore, the fishing line wound onto the flyer is quite thick - 0.5-0.6 mm in diameter. On lakes where giant pike are caught, the fishing line is even thicker. Vegetation, in addition to being a place of ambush and hunting for perch and pike, also serves as a shock absorber during strong jerks of a caught predator. The perch eater appears on such forest lakes at seemingly inopportune times - in July and early August. Large perch take on forest lakes only for smaller perch. Perches weighing no more than 300 g grab the crucian carp and crucian carp you bring with you.

How to catch a big perch with a fishing rod or donka

They also catch large perches using natural baits, using bottom or float rods. If the depth is up to 3 - 3.5 m, then it is convenient to fish with floats. The nozzle is placed on the bottom. They achieve such a descent that the load touches the ground. If they are fishing with a bait in the form of live bait, then they let it in a little higher from the bottom.

The rod is chosen 4 - 5 m long, with guides and a reel seat. You can take a medium reel, around 1500 - 2000. Use monofilament with a thickness of 0.18 - 0.22 mm. Leashes take 0.15 - 0.2 mm. The hooks are large, no less than No. 10 - 12 according to domestic numbering, with a long shank. This choice is due to the large mouth of the fish and the manner of greedily swallowing food.

Donks are used where fishing with floats is not at all convenient, where the depth is more than 4 m and there is a noticeable current. The choice of components is not much different from the float tackle. Maybe you should just take a shorter rod, a spinning rod. They prefer a slightly thicker fishing line, since the bottom tackle itself is more prone to catching any deep-seated debris.

Perch is predatory and carnivorous. It is caught exclusively using bait of animal origin. In action are:

• bunches of dung worms
• large earthworms
• crawls out
• cancerous cervixes
• shell meat
• leeches
• May beetle larvae
• live bait

Among live baits it is preferable:

• bleak
• gudgeon
• ruff
• small perch
• roach

Small chubs are often used in the river. They are tenacious and often found in the same places as the perches themselves. In general, they are common food. Some fish for crucian carp. But this story is mainly about fishing in lakes and ponds.