live baiting for perch?

[lozza]

Been trying to catch big perch using small live bait bleak and dace getting plenty of takes but only connecting with about one in ten takes using a small chuber float with a size 8 hook is their a more effective rig that I can be using? I am hitting the takes very quickly so to not deep hook the fish?

[Guerilla]

Would circle hooks be appropriate in this situation?

[JV44]

lozza as Rob says circle hooks may help just wind down to fish on take ie dont strike unless you want to see the bait fly past your ear,use small Pike floats myself as Chubber type ones aint great at susspending a bait in deep water esp if Gudgeon as they allways want to swim down making it hard to tell proper bites .

Had a load of Perch at the weekend this way and allthough nothing big they took an ET float in the smaller size down easily and i personally have never found ressistance that much of an issue but maybe its just Thames fish .

Have a search for sunk float /float paternoster rig diagrams for your lives as this may be of help in the deeper water .

Best advice for the real biggys is don`t be put off using a larger bait as it`s amazing what size of fish a 3lber can get in its gob Steve.

[lozza]

Cheers for the advice will try circle hooks next time. Have been striking all my bites and have seen the fish pulled from right out of the perches mouth so next time will just wind down to connect. Have had some pretty small perch attack about a 4oz dace like a shoal of mini piranha. When I am getting bites from smaller perch I am not seeming to connect with any of the bigger specimens do they shoal up with the smaller fish? Is it worth moving to find the better fish or will they home in on the bait like the smaller fish do?

[Guerilla]

I've read people having problems finding smaller circle hooks, but Sakuma do some here, if not in the Sea section in your local tackle shop (assuming it has one as I don't know your location!):

http://www.sakuma.co.uk/p/300/sakuma-440-circle-hooks

 

Steve, you sent me some inline sliders before. Aren't these the ones and is 4g about the right size/weight?

http://www.northwoodleisure.co.uk/wolf-pik...8018034dbf32619

[Steve Walker]

Try a lure like a Mepps, the larger more solitiary fish will often pick off one of these.

 

Not sure about that - my last three sessions have been spinning on the Thames with Mepps and small spoons. I have caught about 20 perch, all between four and ten inches long, and I've had smaller ones following!

[JV44]

I've read people having problems finding smaller circle hooks, but Sakuma do some here, if not in the Sea section in your local tackle shop (assuming it has one as I don't know your location!):

http://www.sakuma.co.uk/p/300/sakuma-440-circle-hooks

 

Steve, you sent me some inline sliders before. Aren't these the ones and is 4g about the right size/weight?

http://www.northwoodleisure.co.uk/wolf-pik...8018034dbf32619

 

 

Rob this is what i used at the weekend in the smallest size 6

http://www.eddieturner.co.uk/pike-tackle/F...-Floats-17.html

 

Much more than 4gram but i do use those small inline sliders in the winter when the takes can be a lot more subtle and spooked by resistance .

This time of year and in the autumn they just seem to gobble the bait straight down so lozza keep hitting them straight away and you should come across some big enough to take the bait properly .

My mate jigs for them in the sort of depth lozza mentioned with tiny little jigs and that can be deadly as an alternative Steve

[Dick Dastardly]

The biggest "mistake" a lot of people make when fishing for Perch (I was guilty for sure!) is to use too small a bait be it a live or a lure. Perch love and are well equipped to take 4"+ baits. With the bigger lives I delay the strike a bit but dont have problems with deep hooking.This is mainly down to the size of the bait stopping them swallowing it quickly!

 

A bit of thought has to be given to where you hook the bait and this can really depend on the species of bait used. On really lively baits (small trout are a good example) Perch often "tail nip" them to (I presume) "disable"/slow them down a bit where on small or less active baits they just engulf them.Normally head first but I have had several just engulf them from behind.Its things like this that cause most missed takes.

 

Ive tried circles for a lot of fish but Im afraid the jury is still out for me!

[sawnee]

Do you guys still use a wire trace?

One of the lakes I fish has some big perch in it but its also stuffed with jack pike.

The smaller perch are quite catchable on lobworms and I have caught loads of pike from here but never a perch on live or dead bait could it be the trace putting them off?

I know it would be suicide to fish here without a trace, I was just wondering if you had any ideas?

I make my own traces (28lb Drennan wire) so they are not the thick nylon covered type.

The lake is an old clay quarry so in settled weather it can be like tap water

[Steve Walker]

Nothing wrong with 10'' Perch is there Steve? I understand your point though, and a larger lure will give you at least a chance of nailing the bigger perch, for obvious reasons, btw I understand that Perch seem to be making a comeback, can you confirm that?

 

We're talking a skinny river perch, though, so the 10 inch fish was less than half a pound - if someone is using livebaits, I'm guessing he's targeting perch of 2lb+?

 

A larger lure might work - but you would be surprised at how large a lure a perch will try to eat!

 

I understand that Perch seem to be making a comeback, can you confirm that?

 

It's been producing some cracking perch for some people. I had a new PB of 3lb1oz in March, but some people have had loads of them.

 

At the moment, on the upper Thames, there seem to be more perch than anything else, all tiny - mind you, there's no bloody water in it