It used to be widely recognised that the next record perch was more likely to come from a stillwater fishery than a river. However rivers like the Great Ouse are now throwing up giant perch and this has resulted in an upsurge in the popularity of small river perching. Additionally, for sheer aesthetic pleasure, small river perching steals the edge over all of its rivals. Days spent on small rivers and streams have the ability to absorb and enthrall the angler as he gets carried along with the very life and gentle pace of the water itself. By dusk, with the light beginning to fade, the perch fisher will be making hurried last optimistic casts, knowing that he is now entering the best time of all, and wondering at the same time where the day has gone to.
I think it’s important that we recognise from the outset that on most rivers the primary attraction lies in the quality of the fishing itself rather than the size of the fish. Rivers like the Great Ouse are exceptional. However, don’t runaway with the idea that only small perch will come from small rivers. The upper reaches of most of our rivers are quite capable of producing perch with weights of three pounds or more, and several have recorded four pounders. Unlike some of our stillwaters though, you may often have to wade through lots of small fish before you catch the specimen for, in truth, it’s virtually impossible to be selective unless you find a resident shoal of big perch.
Locating Small River Perch in Summer
In my experience, perch in summer prefer to live "just off the pace". Finding the right current speed can be critical, and I’ve experienced the best results near to, but not in, the main current. This offers the perch a number of critical benefits – namely oxygen, shelter and food. Rather like chub, summer perch like to lie in these positions so that they can intercept food items rather than chase them around all day. Deeper glides near to fast broken water have been particularly productive because I believe that the perch take advantage of the camouflage properties offered by the turbulent flow. Constantly changing currents make detection of predators far more difficult for the prey fish, and it seems logical that the perch relish the prospect of lying in ambush close to the broken water picking off their unwitting and ignorant victims. Indeed cover from which to ambush potential food sources is the key factor. By finding potential shelter, be it a fallen tree, a depression, a weeded sunken snag, an undercut bank or whatever, you have probably found perch. Because of their proven sensitivity to light values, day time perch haunts will always be in the places where the light values are to their liking. Cabbage beds (underwater lilies) in particular illustrate the point very well. In the early morning, and sometimes in the late evening, perch can be found on the open gravel runs near to cabbages. As the sun climbs higher they retreat further and further into the jungle of lily stems to the point where big perch become impossible to catch from these swims on bright sunny days – unless that is you are prepared to fish right in the heart of the pads. Rafts and overhangs present far less problems, since baits can be drifted underneath more often than not. The basic rule is that the stronger the light, the further you should stretch yourself to present baits in difficult and snaggy areas.
Deeper, slower stretches of the river, though primarily attractive for their winter potential, should not be ignored in summer and autumn. Again the same basic rules apply in that you should seek out cover and flow. However, there’s a subtle difference. When referring to deep, slow water, I’m focussing on those canalised stretches of river often found in the last mile or so above weirs. The current pace is invariably very slow, so much so that they can be virtually static during the height of the summer months. Often heavily populated by lily beds, the cover so beloved by perch is abundant and readily available. However, my experience suggests that the perch will frequently be found in the areas where the negligible current is at its strongest. Primary areas of focus should be the outside of bends and narrows, indeed anywhere that offers a slight increase in pace. Everything is relative and these areas of "faster" water are not readily visible for the deviation in current pace is often minute, but significant nonetheless. Find cover and the right current, and you’ll find perch.
Finally, on the subject of weirs, superb sport can be enjoyed by fishing the shallow, well-oxygenated runs immediately downstream of many weir pools. Be warned however that this is not a sport for the more sedate perch angler, for it necessitates a pre-dawn start. In the half-light of daybreak perch will frequently hunt minnows and loach in water as shallow as 8" deep. You will have an hour’s perching at best before light values increase to the point where the fish will have to be sought in more traditional areas. Stealth and caution are the keynotes here, and just as the perch are actively hunting, you must actively hunt them. Vibrations, misplaced footfalls and crunching gravel will send spiky dorsals rocketing away, and herald an even shorter duration to sport. Tactics in this situation are obvious enough with freelined minnows, loach and lobworms scoring heavily.
As river levels progressively rise and weed growth dies back, the distribution of perch becomes less well spread and more concentrated. Perch begin to form tight groups, actively seeking out the areas, which offer them that winning combination of food, cover and current speed. Indeed, food source and pace of current now play an increasing role at the expense of cover, since the generally lower light values in winter encourage the perch to actively forage around for food. Indeed, bright sunshine, the curse of the summer angler, can be a positive boon in winter, particularly if light values have been depressed by colour in the water.
Locating Small River Perch in Winter
Cover should be local rather than on the doorstep, unless of course you’re faced with a bright clear day on a low clear river. In these circumstances you should fish right into the cover itself. This is not to say that overhanging trees, bushes and rush beds should be ignored, for they offer ideal ambush points. However, my experience has been that perch are then far more likely to actively search, albeit in a local area, for longer periods of time.
Current pace is critical and preferences can vary from totally slack water to areas with a walking pace speed. Generally speaking the lower water temperatures of winter will mean that the fish are disinclined to expend valuable energy fighting strong currents, and thus areas of gentle flo
w are favourite. The inside of bends, laybys, and depressions and slacks created by overhanging bushes are the most popular, often holding large populations of perch of mixed sizes. The same advice is also relevant on the deeper, slower sections which become heavily favoured simply because they offer more areas with the correct pace and current patterns.
Summarising on location then, we need to consider the key variables: flow rate, cover, food source and light intensity. The old adage is true, think like a perch and you’ll find them. Any swim which offers one of these factors could produce, whilst the hottest swims of all will be those which coincide with the strongest combination.
Temperature and Small River Perch
No, I’m not going to get scientific; I’ll leave that to more qualified perch anglers like Steve Burke. What I do know however, is that summer temperatures rarely get to the point where perch refuse to feed. Accompanying light values may cause problems, but I have yet to encounter a situation where it has been too hot to get a bite at some point in the day.
However in winter things are different; feeding habits are definitely affected by temperature, the basic rule being the warmer the better. Perch can be caught in a freeze up I’ve no doubt, but I’ve never managed it. When there is ice in the margins I forget perching and go chub fishing instead.
As a basic rule, the lower the temperature the slower the pace of current which is sought. Minimum energy is thus expended. The deadly combination of low cold water, say below 4 degrees Celsius, and a bright day indicates a grueller in the offing, whilst snowbroths are an absolute waste of time.
Perch are extremely light sensitive, that much we already know, and the subject of light intensity can become quite complex. Basically perch are sight feeders, possessing superb vision. So why don’t they feed actively on bright clear days? I think it’s because they can easily be seen by prey fish. In periods of bright light I believe that perch seek out cover either for its camouflage opportunities or simply to enjoy a rest in a quiet area to avoid expending unnecessary energy.
The key factors affecting light intensity are the strength of sunlight, the amount of colour in the water, and the level of’ natural shading provided by overhanging trees, cabbages etc. Thus in summer, when the water is rarely coloured, feeding in open water tends to take place only at dawn and, to an extent, at dusk. Without question, dawn is the most productive time in summer, with dusk a poor second. Dull, overcast days will prolong feeding periods, but daytime fish invariably need to be sought under cover. In winter, and with the advantage of coloured water, bright sunlight can sometimes work for us, encouraging fish to actively feed for considerable periods of time. Constantly changing light values on typical winter days will usually mean that sport can be enjoyed sporadically; whilst constant light values with the appropriate colour (or lack of it) can give constant and hectic sport. Winter perching, though less predictable than summer fishing, can nonetheless be spectacular when the right circumstances combine. Certainly perch are more inclined to feed for longer periods, and as a generalisation, dusk (conversely to summer) takes over from dawn as the best time of all.
To illustrate the importance of light values, I recall a typical winter session with Matt Hayes at a Perchfishers’ get-together in October. A pleasant day with changing light values on a low clear river resulted in a handful of average size perch between us. With dusk only an hour away, I revisited a swim that I had been fishing periodically all day. As the light values began to drop the response was immediate, and I went on to land 11 big perch up to 2 1b 2 oz until dusk settled, when sport stopped abruptly. The following day was an action replay, the fish feeding frantically in a 45 minute spell which saw several big fish landed, the best falling to Stewart at the same weight, 2 lb 2oz (a different fish).
