Perch fishing in winter and summer. Lures, tackle, fishing techniques

Spinning fishing

February 17

Overview of catching perch in summer using spinning rods

Perch is one of the most common types of fish on earth and helps out the fisherman because they bite when no other fish bites. It would not be an exaggeration to say that for most Russian fishermen the first fish they caught was perch. In any body of water, be it a small pond or a huge reservoir, a quiet river or a deep river like the Volga, you can find this striped robber everywhere. It is enough just to put a wriggling worm on the hook of a fishing rod, throw the bait near the edge of aquatic vegetation and, in almost 90% of cases, you can guarantee that it will be a perch on the hook.

In some places there are few perch and they are small, others are widely known for their “humpback fish”, the cherished dream of any spinning angler. Perch is considered more of a sport fish than a commercial fish. Indeed, catching perch is much more interesting than later bothering with preparation.

Moscow fisherman Anatoly Mailkov rightly noted in one of his articles, calling fishing for a striped predator “perch fun.” This fishing is fun and exciting. Perch is a lively, sociable fish, and therefore, as soon as you “find” a cool place, you are already guaranteed five to ten caught fish. In such a place, almost every cast brings some kind of trophy. It is almost impossible to predict the size of future prey in advance, but this is one of the delights of perch hunting.

The order of perciformes, which includes the common perch, contains about eight thousand species, and in this regard is the absolute record holder not only among fish, but also among vertebrates in general. The inhabitants of fresh waters also include the order of perciformes, which include about a hundred species. Perches are widespread in the northern hemisphere, and some genera have their representatives in both the old and new worlds. Our perch, the common perch, is distributed throughout almost all of Europe and Siberia. It is not found only in the Far East, east of the Kolyma River. There are no common perch in North America, but a very closely related species, yellow perch, lives there. Regarding the famous American bass: largemouth and smallmouth bass, although they are similar to perch, they belong to a different family - the centrarch family. Smallmouth and largemouth bass are the favorite fish of American anglers. These are active predators, growing up to one and a half meters in length and weighing three and a half kilograms. They are also interesting because, like our pike perch, they make a nest for eggs, which they fearlessly guard, throwing themselves not only at other fish, but also at humans.

Our perch in some reservoirs reaches a weight of four kilograms with a length of sixty centimeters, but in most cases, fish over two kilograms are rare. Perch reaches sexual maturity at the age of two to three years. It spawns in early spring, following the pike, at a water temperature of at least seven degrees Celsius. During spawning, the eggs are not scattered haphazardly, but are connected into a smooth hollow tube of gelatinous substance, in the walls of which the eggs are located. The development of the embryo in the eggs lasts quite a long time, about ten days. But by the time of hatching, it reaches a length of six millimeters, is sufficiently formed and is able to swim well. The embryo grows quite quickly and after a couple of weeks reaches a centimeter length, thereby becoming desirable prey for other fish.

Most of the fry that emerge from the eggs will, of course, be eaten, and, first of all, by larger perches. That is why the spawning grounds of bass are a concentration of larger striped predators, and naturally, when there are more small bass, then there is a greater likelihood that we can meet large bass too.

Therefore, after the fry emerge from their shells and begin to actively feed, the larger “humpback whales” are immediately waiting for them. Therefore, fishing near spawning grounds will be successful in the first half of summer.

With a length of about one centimeter, the perch larva swallows an air bubble from the surface of the water, without which it cannot form the beginning of a swim bladder. With a length of only a little over three centimeters, the young perch is already a fully formed predator. However, not everyone is destined to become real big fish. There are two groups of perch:

1. The first is a deep, fast-growing large group, the so-called humpback whales.

2. The second is a smaller (at the same age), grass form, which lives in the coastal region and is characterized by small size.

These groups arise from the offspring of the same parents. After spawning, those perches that switch to feeding on juvenile carp fish, which spawn later, gain weight faster, grow faster and become much larger by the end of the first year than their brothers who feed on small crustaceans and worms in the coastal area. As a result, those that grew faster will produce those very “large” humpback whales - the desired prey for the fisherman. And those who grew up near the shore will remain small sailors. Therefore, the more carp fish live in a reservoir, the greater the number of “humpback whales” we can expect in the reservoir (and vice versa).

It is this feature that suggests the nature of the search for large perch. When fishing with spinning gear, it is useful to fish as much as possible in the places where it is supposed to be located, first at short distances from the angler, and then at long distances. This will help determine the most catchy place. In terms of its capabilities, perch as a predator is superior to, for example, pike, for which it is often the main competitor.

Content

Perch Fishing - A Quick Guide
A little theory
How to catch perch in winter
How to catch perch in open water
Float tackle
Spinning
Share your experience and increase your knowledge

He is omnipresent. He is gluttonous, omnivorous and brave. But as soon as you get ready to purposefully catch the “striped fish,” he becomes picky, timid, and “in general, the pressure increases and the weather changes.”

Perch Fishing - A Quick Guide

Let's try to summarize the existing experience of amateurs and professionals, and then try to establish patterns that will help find this fish and catch it. Technical means of photo-video recording will help us with this, which open up new opportunities: to look at the process from the side of the fished object, to better understand the habits of the fish and to notice our own mistakes and shortcomings. Due to the wide distribution of this species in our reservoirs and the many different ways of catching it, we will consider winter and summer fishing separately.

Secrets of big bass

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Nizhny Novgorod fisherman
Secrets of big bass

Valery Sikirzhitsky

For the first time I set out to catch a large perch with a spinning rod about 10 years ago. Not yet having a clear idea of where and how to do it, I still caught a couple of humpback whales. Since then, I have periodically returned to the topic of trophy perch, but a real system has only now been developed. Yes, there have been catches of humpback whales using twitching and light jigs from the shore, but this is rather an accident and is only an addition to the general accumulated experience of catching large striped predators. The main “tool” for catching them was the boat jig.

Reservoirs and points

But you need to start by choosing a reservoir. I won’t clearly say by what criterion humpback whales choose their habitats - it’s just that in some reservoirs the perch grows to a decent size, while in others it’s mostly “sports” perch. In addition, in some places large fish are caught, but in others there are only rumors about them. In other words, I was initially interested in reservoirs in which large perches were regularly caught on a spinning rod - by me or my friends. To the point that there might not be any bites of striped small fish here at all, but, as you know, there can never be too many large fish. Therefore, having tuned in to a small number of bites, I began to carefully study such reservoirs. I simply didn’t waste time on the rest, although on some of them the perch was caught in quantity, but at the same time it was not so large – up to half a kilo.

All currently developed perch reservoirs are united by their artificial origin - these are reservoirs and quarries. Several reservoirs are of channel type, where the main relief falls on the flooded river - they have an elongated shape. On others, relief changes of a different origin predominate, but pronounced differences in depth are obligatory - we are simply not interested in smooth “bowls”. As a rule, in the described reservoirs the nature of the bottom changes: there are always areas with a soft and hard bottom.

Careers are a different story. In general, I am inclined to believe that these reservoirs are the most suitable for finding large perch. This is probably due to the varied terrain that prevails here. We are primarily interested in sand quarries. But there are not too many of them, so the probability of finding a reservoir with large perch is not very high.

In addition to the reservoirs themselves, we also select the necessary points. In principle, everything here is standard for jig fishing along the terrain - we look for changes in depth, be it drops into the riverbed, flooded ditches, slides, ridges, navels, spits, etc. In all these places I caught trophy perch, highlighting the most promising ones based on the number of bites. On the same flooded riverbed, humpback whales can be found in certain areas. Not being too interested in what attracts them there, I simply enter the point into the navigator and check it every time.

It is not often possible to know for certain during the next fishing trip that this is where the “muzzles” will be taken. Although sometimes the same developments give results year after year. This is what happens to me in one small narrow reservoir - perches here always bite at several characteristic points.

But more often the opposite happens - even on two fishing trips in a row, the operating points may differ. Perhaps a disturbed flock of humpback whales simply goes elsewhere. This is what happens to me in a quarry that I know well - I’ve just found good perches, but the next time it turns out that there’s no trace of them. We must also keep in mind the change in the location of humpback whales throughout the year. Therefore, the search strategy here is standard - gradually developing working points, and checking them one by one while fishing. I wouldn’t wait for an exit on one of them, as often happens with pike. If the perch does not show itself right away, it is unlikely to appear again. But these are purely my observations. Another thing is that after being captured you can return here later, when the point has rested. Well, here are a few examples of the most typical habitats of humpback whales. I have already spoken about channel edges. For some reason, the area closer to the dam works more often. Also in reservoirs, I found perch on solid ridges with a depth difference of up to 4–5 meters. It’s definitely worth checking out the various slides at the quarries. It is best if there is vegetation there. It’s also not uncommon for me to have a shorted shore dump that triggers.

There is a greater chance that the point will work - the presence of fry. Especially if it is not available in other areas. This is what happened to me in the summer. But now we are moving on to the question of fishing time.

Seasons and time of day

For some reason, I initially thought that large perch, like trophy pike, should be caught in the fall, preferably late. And, inspired by the first successes, he did not try to convince himself of this. Therefore, at first, the overwhelming number of humpback whales caught occurred from the end of October to mid-December. I almost never tried to purposefully catch them with a spinning rod at other times.

In the fall, he successfully alternated catching large perch with bites from large pike. Moreover, sometimes they happened at the same points. In this regard, we recall last year’s incident that occurred on November 3. Then, from one point in a row, we managed to catch first a trophy pike at 8350, then a large perch. Then there was another meeting of a good “face”. This once again confirmed the similarity of the pre-winter mood of both predators.

In principle, I still have nothing against the pre-winter period for catching striped trophies. But this year I decided to test my autumn achievements for the first time in March. To be honest, I don’t really hope for the success of this venture. However, it turned out that I shouldn’t have done this earlier - good perches stood in the same areas of the reservoir where I left them at the end of November. At least two points worked - a 7-meter drop from a 3-meter hill and a coastal, heavily uprooted dump going to a depth of over 10 m.

In the second case, the difference from the last pre-winter fishing trips was that in the spring the perch stood on the first edge of the dump, while in November it was caught deeper than 8 meters. But it hasn’t gone away over the winter! I didn’t go over a kilo then, but the fishing took place in difficult conditions and was quite short. It’s a pity that there was a ban, otherwise I would have checked my assumptions, and I’m sure that they would have been confirmed - the autumn points are worth checking in the spring.

Lures

Here, first of all, we remember the saying “a big piece and the mouth rejoices.” This is especially true in autumn. Several years ago, exploring a new artificial reservoir for myself, without “resting” on any specific predator, I chose the “Luckyjohn” Long John vibrating tail in size 4.2 inches as a universal bait. The pike were the first to set their sights on him, and then a very good perch bit him. And subsequently, most of the humpback whales were caught using this (quite large for a striped predator) bait.

Since then I am sure that big fish need serious bait. So the minimum size I hooked was about 3 inches. Mostly the classics worked - traditional twisters and vibrating tails. But this applied to spring and autumn.

In summer, the type of bait remained the same, but the size had to be changed downward. The “buttery” Long John was silent on the perch, the 3-inch twister Chunk Tail brought bites, but not as regularly as we would like. As a result, I began to experiment a lot with baits, and it turned out that changing them worked. I had to move a little, and at one point the bite occurred when I threw something new. Basically these were the same vibrotails and twisters. The biggest bass were biting on a 3-inch Spark Tail and a 2-inch JIB Tail from Lucky John. Of the original baits, TIG Tail 2.8 with an unusual tail worked. Particularly useful was the frequent change of bait when the perch came out. Although he actively pecked, he preferred to choose something new as a menu. In terms of colors in recent seasons, variations in motor oil, greenish colors have usually worked. One zakiloshnik coveted the bloody color of the twister. In general, I am a supporter of using more twisters than vibrating tails for catching perch - for some reason I have such preferences, but at any time of the year they are still by no means small, 2-4 inches is the most suitable size.

The equipment is usually articulated, double or offset - depending on the degree of snags in the reservoir. The depths at which I most often fish with jigs range from 3–8 meters. Sometimes you have to anchor deeper, but the main wiring still takes place in the specified depth range. The weight used here is 10–16 g, more often 12–14. The choice primarily depends on the size of the bait and the strength of the wind. The bottom of artificial reservoirs is usually hard, and my perch net is also standard – about 0.11 mm.

Previously, I believed that perch is more willing to take on a long pause, that is, when the weight of the load is reduced. This actually happened often in cold water. In the summer, it turned out to be the opposite - suddenly the technique of increasing the load began to work, almost doubling it. And this is for small 5 cm twisters. At 3.5–4 meters, the retrieve was quite fast, with short pauses, during which the perch still managed to attack the bait. In other words, you need to change not only the baits themselves, but also the weight of the load. And in any direction - any of the options can work.

Technique and tactics

Of course, I also tried different types of wiring. I changed my favorite winding with the reel handle to tosses - single, double, or even triple - pulling along the bottom and some other animation techniques. For small spring perch on a light jig, all this worked, but for large summer and autumn perch, it did not. Of course, there were bites on the throws, but not so often as to make such a retrieve a priority.

Therefore, the usual reeling with a reel remained my main one both for catching perch and for other predators. Another thing is that I vary the winding speed and the number of revolutions. All this depends primarily on the depth of the bait and can change during one trip. Thus, I try to maintain a standard pause of about 2 seconds. Actually, there is nothing more to say about technology.

I have already spoken about the basic tactical scheme - by checking places with interesting terrain, we develop points where there were bites of large perches. On the next fishing trips we check them one by one. If the wind allows, I try to fish the most promising points from different sides - for example, by swimming across a hill or positioning myself so as to cast along a drop off. I use this technique when there are no bites in a promising place, or the spot is silent.

However, more often it happens the other way around - you anchor only in such a way that the “main blow,” that is, the most promising casting direction, is located downwind. This may not always be correct, but personally, I prefer to have a quality step bite rather than guess when the bait falls to the bottom. At the same time, I fix the step along the tip of the rod and, less often, into the hand. In the days of “bad spinning rods” I did this with braided rods, but now I prefer to trust the blank. But this is not so important - whoever is used to it.

The main thing is not to miss the bite. During its activity, the perch takes it very firmly - just like pike and pike perch can hit the bait hard when paused. But this doesn't always happen. I didn’t hook one of my first hooks at all - I cast against the wind, the loop blew out decently, there was no bite as such, and I only felt the fish when I started retrieving. A good perch was caught on the outskirts, perhaps already at the bottom. There are also pressures from good humpbacks and bites in pursuit. Although I always expect a good hit from him on the pause - then the catch is more pleasant. Most often this happens when the bait begins to slide along a steep edge or has just overcome some obstacle. As I see it, the striped predator makes an ambush attack and grabs the bait.

I try to fish edge dumps as carefully as possible. It’s good if there is some kind of grass or snags at the top of the slide - then the “muzzles” can spin there too, but if the shallows are clean, then they rarely go there. Therefore, I usually anchor at the base of the drop, swimming up to 10 meters, so that the wiring is complete. That is, I usually pull the bait. Although, depending on the specific point, it is often possible to throw a hill or hillock, first pulling the bait onto it, then lowering it down. If I’m fishing in a flooded riverbed, I can stand in the middle of the hole to fish both dumps. Each particular case may have its own positioning of the boat, but in general my concept is this: to lead the bait from shallower to deeper depths, casting into the wind.

NIZHNY NOVGOROD FISHER No. 5(58), 2021

A little theory

Before moving on to practical advice “Where?”, “When?” and “How to catch perch?” I suggest you familiarize yourself with the theory a little. Many spears and fishing rods have been broken in scientific discussions about whether to divide the species of river perch (Perca fluviatilis., lat.) into separate subspecies: “deep” - large, predatory and “coastal” - small, omnivorous. Official science has adopted the following postulate: “river perch forms two different ecological forms, or races, which differ in habitat, diet and growth rate.” Moreover, at the first stages of development, these forms live and feed together in the coastal zone, and then are divided according to the type of nutrition and localization in the reservoir, which introduces additional confusion into the taxonomy.

The coastal form prefers to stay in flocks in small creeks with a slow current, near bridge supports, piles, flooded bushes and snags. Small dumps, aquatic vegetation and stones provide them with shelter from predators and hunting grounds. The diet consists of insect larvae, zooplankton, fry, and worms.

Large perch (in the slang of site visitors, “humpbacked” or “sea”, as opposed to coastal - “sports”) lives at considerable depth, in whirlpools and channel holes, which it leaves only for hunting. It usually gathers in small flocks only during the feast. It feeds mainly on small fish, shellfish, etc. However, this division is very arbitrary. For example, I had to catch respectable specimens weighing up to 1.5 kg from the shore with a fishing rod using a worm, and on a spoon, at a depth of 6-8 m, it happened that specimens hardly larger than the bait itself landed.

The behavior of this fish largely depends on the time of year. In the spring, after spawning, perch migrates to the mouths of rivers and streams and can rise upstream in search of food. Doesn't bite well in muddy water. As the water level drops, it rolls down to its main habitat. In summer and autumn, it actively feeds both in deep and shallow water, gathering in huge flocks. Finding such a “boiler” is a great success for a fisherman. Driven by instinct, the perch greedily pounces on any offered bait, trying to get ahead of its fellow tribesmen. This continues until freeze-up.

During the first ice, perch is usually better caught with a spoon and a balance beam; in the dead of winter it can be almost passive, but there are times when the fish bite on insect larvae, zooplankton or baits that imitate them. Ichthyologists explain this by the fact that caviar or milt, at this time, occupy most of the abdominal cavity of the fish, and it is physically unable to swallow large objects.

Read about catching winter perch using a balance beam in our article. It reveals fishing techniques, tactics, which balancers are best to fish with and much more.

Search for a promising location

Perch is found in large and small rivers, lakes and ponds. He is always in search of food, so he actively moves behind flocks of fry. You need to look for a predator in coastal areas, in areas with small currents or in bends with differences in depth. Promising places for active fishing are as follows:

in grassy coastal thickets, especially where water lilies and duckweed grow;
near bridges and near boat docks;
in places with riffles where the current slows down;
in areas of the coast where there are coastal bushes and trees hanging over the water;
in bays and in those places of rivers and reservoirs where there are holes and a snagy bottom.

Large perches often hide in pools, especially if there are fallen trees and snags nearby. Schools of perch are looking for schools of fry, so they can be identified by splashes of water. A small fish escapes from being chased and gives itself away. And if there is a fry, then the fish are somewhere nearby.

How to catch perch in winter

How to catch perch in winter - this question is not as simple as it seems at first glance. It would seem, what does it take to catch a perch?

Decide on a body of water
Choose a fishing method
Choose bait and groundbait
Prepare winter equipment
Find a place... and catch...

But perch is unpredictable and capricious, it bites on everything, but “yesterday and tomorrow.” Let's say that in the summer on a pond he immediately knocks down a worm that you put on a hook and spat on in the hope of catching a crucian carp. And in winter, this very pond is as quiet as a swimming pool. It happens that in the morning he aggressively attacks the balancer, at noon he prefers live baits, and in the evening he becomes passive and ignores any tricks of the angler. Therefore, having decided on a body of water, you need to come there fully armed and search.

An undoubted advantage of winter fishing, compared to summer fishing from the shore, is the wide possibility of maneuver in choosing a fishing point. Professional fishermen recommend choosing a point based on your own preferences and knowledge of the habits of the fish. The first thing you need to do is find the perch; to do this, you should drill several holes (5-10-20 pieces) using the square-cluster method at different depths, feeding them at the same time. Small bloodworms are usually used as bait.

By the way, in under-ice footage, we often observe that the perch only moves towards the feeding spot, but is in no hurry to eat the bait.

Although it also happens that the fish, like an industrial vacuum cleaner, collects complementary food, but does not pay any attention to the limply dangling jig. Therefore, whether to feed or not is up to you.

Then, when you are thoroughly tired of drilling, you should return to the first hole, and then check everything in order, making several strokes of different intensity and amplitude in each, until a bite appears. More details about how to look for perch in winter are described in this video:

If the bite does not occur, try changing the bait or tackle (experienced fishermen have several equipped fishing rods with different jigs in their fishing box, so as not to tie them in the cold). A review of jigs for perch can be found in this article.

The food preferences of fish can change several times a day. Therefore, in the arsenal of a fan of winter perch fishing there should be spoons, and balancers, and baitless jigs and live baits in an assortment (bloodworms, jigs, maggots) and, of course, “tea with sandwiches” to keep warm and while away the time without biting.

Large perch on the river are looked for under a steep bank, in holes, in quiet places with a slow or reverse current, near flooded trees. The “humpback” is caught mainly with a balancer, rattlin, or spinner.

In such places, the chance of catching a trophy specimen increases, but the likelihood of losing the balancer increases proportionally because vertical wobblers do not move in a straight line, but along a more intricate trajectory. To reduce the loss of bait, anglers bite off the front or rear hook of the balancer and the number of hooks is slightly reduced. Spoons, in my blinkered opinion, are less catchy, although I knew specialists who mowed down dozens of two-kilogram perches in Berdsky Bay with homemade spoons, however, in those days the trees were taller and there were more fish.

Pike can also stand in holes with snags, so it is recommended to use a short (up to 10 cm) leash.

Perhaps I won’t reveal a big secret if I formulate the principles of winter perch fishing as follows: “Move a lot, drill a lot, experiment more often with gear, bait and the method of their animation.”

Preparation of equipment

In order for catching perch with a float rod to be effective, it is important to select and mount the equipment correctly. The main components are as follows:

main line – its diameter is 0.14-0.18 mm, breaking load is up to 2.5 kg (select taking into account the expected size of the fish);
float - the load capacity can be in the range of 3–15 g; when choosing, one must take into account the strength of the current (or lack thereof);
leash – length 15–40 cm, diameter 0.12 mm (length depends on the fishing method);
hook - No. 10–16, it is better to choose a model with a long shank, so that it is more convenient to set the bait, and the perch does not break off when biting;
set of weights;
sinker-sink.

Installation of different types of gear has its own nuances, but the basic steps are carried out the same way. To assemble a fishing rod, you need to do the following:

Attach the main line to the rod. If the fishing rod is a fly rod, it is attached directly to the rod using 2 cambrics. If the rod blank has rings, the line from the reel must first be passed through them, and then assemble the equipment.
The second step is to attach a float to the main line. It can have one attachment point or two. You can attach it in various ways, you can use the simple “loop-to-loop” method or use silicone cambrics. When fishing is expected in calm weather on a reservoir without a current, a lightweight model of a needle-shaped float weighing 3–5 grams is suitable. During installation, blind fastening is used. If the fishing involves long casts and on a river with a current, it is better to choose spherical or teardrop-shaped floats, weighing 10–12 grams. and more. Then it is better to give preference to a sliding mount, when stoppers are installed on both sides of the float or a swivel is used.
Shot pellets are attached below the float. The weight of these weights should ensure its stable position on the surface of the water. They are followed by a sinker.
Next comes the leash. If the fishing rod is a fly rod with a blind mount, you don’t have to install it. Especially if fishing is done from the shore at shallow depths. A leash of 15–25 cm is usually placed on a mast fishing rod. It is important to ensure that the length of the leash is shorter than the distance from the sub-line to the main sinker - then there will be no overlaps during long casts.
A hook with a long shank completes the rig. It is tied to a leash or, with a blind attachment method, directly to the main fishing line. The hook number depends on the weight of the float and the expected size of the fish. The most commonly used is No. 10, which fits almost any equipment.

Float equipment for fishing rods has its own characteristics. The debate continues about which type of fishing rod is better, how long the leash should be, whether it is needed at all, and other nuances. To avoid annoying mistakes, it is better to try to choose universal gear. Then, if suddenly a large humpback fish bites among the small and medium-sized perches, high-quality equipment will allow you not to miss it.

How to catch perch in open water

I love summer fishing more. It's warm in the summer. Even if it doesn’t bite, you can sit on a log by the fire, or just lie on an overturned boat and look at the starry sky above your head, wondering and awe, like old Kant. True, he also wove something about the moral law inside, but inside you there is only a hot dinner and a warm drink that makes you crave for philosophical reasoning. As soon as you close your eyes, visions of your day’s experiences emerge: a float swaying on the water or the tip of a spinning rod. When bitten, the muscles contract sharply, and you shudder, just like a sleeping dog “runs” and whines in its sleep...

In the morning, at sunrise, you need to be near the water. Perch is a light-loving fish; at dawn it gathers in schools and goes out hunting, which can last until dusk. By evening, the flocks scatter, and each individual, hiding somewhere, freezes until dawn. At night, the perch does not feed or bite; this is pike perch time.

Technique for catching perch with a float

You can catch perch with a float from the shore, choosing a suitable area, or from a boat where there is no strong current. There are two types of striped fish that live in bodies of water. Usually small and medium-sized bass stay close to the shore and eat everything. Other, larger individuals move further away, to deeper areas and rarely swim close to the coast. They prefer small fish or worms for food. The fishing technique for each fishing method and fish size has its own nuances that are important to consider.

Worm fishing technique

If you are fishing from the shore with a simple fly rod, a worm is an excellent bait. It must be put on the hook with several punctures so that the smell attracts fish better. Leave one end movable. Before fishing, make bait that will attract fry, and then perch.

The cast is not far, the hook is immersed to a depth of about 1 m. If the float first sways a little and then plunges into the water, a small or medium-sized perch is caught. When the float sinks, you need to hook it. You need to hook quickly, but carefully. The lips of a perch are delicate, you can tear them and the fish will leave.

Technique for catching perch using live bait with a float

Live bait is more often used for long casts or when fishing is done from a boat. For small and medium-sized perch, a fry is taken 2–5 cm long; to catch a large humpback fish, you need a live bait of 7–8 cm. You need to hook it under the fin on the back so that it is mobile in the water. When a large perch bites, the float immediately goes under the water. Experienced fishermen understand by the movement of the float what size fish is on the hook.

A large fish must first be fished out carefully, remembering that with a sudden movement it can easily break the tackle. At the last stage of fishing, a landing net will be indispensable. With its help, it will be convenient to drag the fish into the boat or pull it ashore. When landing fish (especially from a long cast), you need to make sure that it does not get hidden under snags or other shelters.

Float tackle

You can catch perch using a float rod. The bait usually used is a worm, maggot, bloodworm, and fish slices. Bottom gear is usually used when fishing with live bait. Just like in winter, you need to look for perch in the pond. On large lakes and reservoirs, if you have a boat, seagulls will help you find the “cauldrons”; they circle above the water, hoping to profit from the place where the predator drives schools of small fish to the surface of the water. Don't yawn here. It’s damn nice to sit with a fishing rod on the shore, tug on the fish on your rightful day off, but, in my opinion, this is still the lot of boys, vacationers and retired summer residents.

What does it bite on?

Perch is a predatory fish. Therefore, catching it with a plant bait is extremely ineffective. She just won't be interested. Therefore, it is necessary to use natural baits of animal origin or artificial baits as bait. Small fish can be used as the first ones (they must be thin so that the perch can easily swallow them). You can use pieces of meat from large fish. Bloodworms, maggots or earthworms are quite suitable.

All kinds of industrial baits are also effective when catching large perch. These include:

various spinners;
wobblers;
various silicone baits.

Without the right bait, it is unlikely that you will be able to catch such a cunning fish as a large perch.

Spinning

For most people, the greatest emotions come from catching perch with a spinning rod. Here you need to outwit the fish, slip it an absolutely inedible object, make it play so that it would mistake it for food, and in the end it would become the victim itself. This is the next step in the evolution of the fisherman. Spinning means a larger selection of baits, greater freedom of action and the widest field for experimentation.

When fishing for perch, silicone is used in different ways: from classic vibrotails, medium-sized twisters and worms to completely hallucinogenic fantastic creatures, the advertised catchability of which I personally have not been convinced of. In terms of catchability of perch and versatility of use, the retractable method of installing “silicone” gear is in first place for me. But, ultimately, the result depends on the specific fishing conditions. In thickets of grass, the best results may be shown by a Carolina and Texas hook, or a slightly loaded offset hook; in shallow water - a micro jig or bombard; in the depths - perhaps a jig and a drop shot. But you should not take this statement as an axiom; you need to look for the optimal solution yourself.

Other people's experience will not be superfluous. This video, for example, will be useful for those who are interested in fishing with a Carolina rig.

Let's consider another aspect of spinning fishing for perch - fishing with a wobbler. More often, this method justifies itself in shallow and medium depths, as well as when catching fish that hunt in the water column or near its surface. The choice of baits is great: classic wobblers, poppers, walkers, rattlins - almost all of them have their advantages, but are not without their disadvantages. Anyone who wants to plunge headlong into a topic, learn a lot of different opinions and gain practical knowledge - welcome to our forum. Here is one of the discussions: “Reviews of wobblers, fishing techniques.”

With spinners, everything is somewhat simpler. For beginners, I would recommend a classic spinner from number zero to number four. You will have to experiment with the color, depth and speed of the spinner in each specific case. If you start with Chinese fakes, you can quickly become disappointed in lure fishing.

Record catch

The largest specimen of perch was caught by American Mac Whitley in 2006 on Lake Dixon in California. He weighed 11.5 kilograms. But this record was not registered, since fishing was prohibited in California at that time. Whitley said in his defense that he accidentally hooked the fish. But accidental snags are unacceptable for registering a world record.

In Russia, a representative weighing 5.6 kilograms was noted. In 1996, Nikolai Arturovich Badymer caught him on Lake Tishkin Sor, which is located in the Uvatsky district of the Tyumen region.

It is unlikely that the average humpback whale will be able to grow to such a size. But catching fish up to 50 centimeters long and weighing up to 2 kilograms can be caught by an amateur who deliberately hunts for large perches.

Share your experience and increase your knowledge

In the review, we only tried to show novice fishermen that perch fishing is very interesting and exciting, and the wide distribution and unpretentiousness of this species allows them to experiment and practice on any body of water. You need to contract this incurable disease, try, make mistakes and try again, despite dogma.

I ask “chronic” fishermen not to blame the superficiality of the presentation, but, if possible, to share their experience and their “secrets” of finding and catching perch in the comments. After all, knowledge has value only if it is passed on and used by the next generation. This is progress and evolution. Then, maybe, young people will put down their gadgets and pick up a drill, a spinning rod and a box of maggots from our weakening hands!

Catching perch vertically

To catch perch vertically in the summer from a boat or bridge, use a winter fishing rod with a nod. For vertical trolling, an oscillating spoon or small fishing balancer, up to 5 cm long, is attached to the tackle. Fishing with a balancer, with skillful play with bait, increases the chance of catching a trophy perch.

Catching perch vertically with a jig is also promising. Lures are used with bait or with a bare hook. So-called winter jigs are used. If the bait perfectly imitates a water insect, then when it comes into the field of view of an omnivorous predator, it usually provokes it to bite.