Lure fishing for perch and chub

[Andy Macfarlane]

Ah well, I try not to get involved with numbers, because I can't manage long division without having a migraine and so, I just revert back to the ways of old and rely on past experience and watercraft. Both of which, I think, will catch you more fish, than doing sums ever will.

 

Make of that what you will but I can't ever recall watching an episode of Passion For Angling or Go Fishing, where anyone was seen with a calculator.

 

I get muddled up deciding, "Do I catapult 4 maggots or 5 maggots?"

 

.....Andy.....

[Anderoo]

I don't think Perch mind high pressure at all. I've caught bagloads of Perch in the middle of the day when sky has been clear and the sun has been beating the water. They still like shade though.

 

I agree Andy, I think with perch it is probably the accompanying weather conditions (cloud, rain, low light basically) that the low pressure system brings that makes the difference. I've caught perch in sunny days too (although usually then as the light goes at dusk), but all my better days have been in low light conditions.

 

Having said that I know from Steve Burke's writings that perch are very sensitive to sustained depth changes because of their swim bladder arrangement, so perhaps changes in air pressure affect how deep we should be fishing for them?

 

With tench (gravel pits) it has been really marked. I've had enough results now to prove to myself that low pressure conditions in spring and summer really turn the tench on. Wind (even N or E), heavy rain, low cloud, all that horrible stuff, send them nuts. It's miserable to fish in, but it's now happened too many times to ignore. With high pressure weather they will feed at dawn and sporadically up to midday - with the low pressure they'll scoff all day long.

 

John, I don't really do much lure fishing or livebaiting, 90% of my perch fishing is with worms.It would be interesting to hear of others' opinions on this one...

 

About what constitutes a significant drop in pressure, I don't really know or even think of it in terms of definite numbers. It depends on how settled the prevailing weather has been to a large extent. If it's been 'high' pressure and stable for a week and then drops all of a sudden, that's worth taking notice of. Similarly, if it's the other way around. When it's very changeable and up and down all the time, I find it less useful.

 

For other species, sustained, settled conditions are often best. And it probably changes depending on your waters and where you are in the country!

 

There's no real science behind this, but after a while of just fishing regardless patterns begin to emerge. I still have to fish regardless (damn job!) but if I can match the conditions when I can fish to a suitable species and venue, I'm much more likely to have a good day.

 

I haven't read this back so hopefully it makes some kind of sense...!

 

EDIT: I find this stuff really interesting (one of the things I enjoy most about fishing is reading all these little 'clues' and trying to figure it all out) and it would be good to get other peoples thoughts - what do you think?

Edited November 6, 2009 by Anderoo

[Dales]

I get muddled up deciding, "Do I catapult 4 maggots or 5 maggots?"

 

.....Andy.....

 

Five is best, they look better in the catapult and make a nice display when you fire them out

 

Gardeners all ways go for odd number groupings of plants they just look more natural, even numbers just look wrong.

 

Keep your freebie baits in odd numbers and the fish will be fooled use even numbers and they will smell a rat.