Perch season

[Anderoo]

I think it's arrived

 

The leaves are turning, there's that wonderful September light, the air is cooling, we're getting the first little bits of rain for ages...the rivers are now starting that gradual annual change to their winter states, with their extra water, flow, and character. Between now and when it gets properly cold, it feels like perch time.

 

I was completely obsessed with the chub last season (aided by the very early and harsh winter we had last year), so it's been two whole years since I've done any river perching. Well, that's about to change!

 

I know this is tempting fate, but I'm about to go for my first perch session of the season, and I'm really looking forward to it. It'll be on a bit of river that I haven't fished for perch before, so I'm not expecting much, but if I can manage a perch or two of any size I'll come home very happy. The river does hold some big fish though, so a specimen is always a possibility. But today it'll be enough to sit and watch the red tip of my favourite perch float again, and hopefully watch it slide away...

 

I'll let you know how it goes later - good luck to everyone fishing for the stripeys this autumn

[Phone]

Androo,

 

Good luck!

 

Amazing how attitudes differ. I am sitting at the computer grumbling because - it is raining, the air is cool, and it's dark in the morning when I get up, and the leaves are turning, a sure sign for the onset of winter. We do have in common a desire to do a little angling. I won't however, in this weather (rain) venture out.

 

I will instead, fish vicariously through your fine report(s). Don't leave a single detail out. I enjoy your stuff.

 

Phone

[Anderoo]

We are very lucky here Phone, no matter what the time of year or the weather, there's always something worth fishing for. It's why I could never fish for just one species or use just 1 method all the time!

[Norfolkdipper]

We are very lucky here Phone, no matter what the time of year or the weather, there's always something worth fishing for. It's why I could never fish for just one species or use just 1 method all the time!

 

Anderoo

Nice to see you chirpy again, I too am hoping for a good session of big perch early next month. They are such a good fighting fish & so under appreciated as a species. It's the bites I like as they hit so hard, you can;t miss the tip bending each time. Worm, maggot, minnow or spinner they take them all when in the right mood. Presentation has to be right though, but the sport is great.

Good luck on your session.

Mark

[watatoad]

Great, now get out there catching and have some pleasure and may they all be stripy and spiked.

[Chris Plumb]

I still haven't quite got my 'Summer Head' off - still hankering after an early autumn crucian - the perch will have to wait a couple of weeks!

 

C.

[Tigger]

I think it's arrived

 

The leaves are turning, there's that wonderful September light, the air is cooling, we're getting the first little bits of rain for ages...the rivers are now starting that gradual annual change to their winter states, with their extra water, flow, and character. Between now and when it gets properly cold, it feels like perch time.

 

 

Blimey, we've had nowt but rain here Andrew... I've just been over my head and swimming in a flooded river after sliding down a bank that is usually exposed...swallowed a load of water n'all just down strean from the bloody sewerage works outlet . I've just had a bath in bleach and drunk some to kill the germs

[JV44]

Blimey, we've had nowt but rain here Andrew... I've just been over my head and swimming in a flooded river after sliding down a bank that is usually exposed...swallowed a load of water n'all just down strean from the bloody sewerage works outlet . I've just had a bath in bleach and drunk some to kill the germs

Bloody hell Ian bes get yourself off to the docs if you feel iffy ,Rivers are dangerous places when up and not just if afloat eh?? .

[Anderoo]

That sounds a bit rough Tigger, glad you're OK.

 

It did feel perchy today, the leaves are falling into the river, the apple tree overhanging the water is dropping its fruit with loud 'plops', and the last of the blackberries are hanging onto the brambles, but it's still not quite right...the river still isn't really flowing, it's still quite low, and it'll be a few weeks yet before it feels perfect. Still, the perch are feeding

 

The spot I had in mind didn't feel right - too many boats, too exposed, not enough cover - so I ended up in a swim I've fished before. There are usually some perch around, and a few seasons back I lost an absolute giant from that swim. It's the one fish I've ever lost that still haunts me, it really was enormous.

 

I spent an hour or so firing maggots out to get the bleak in a good old frenzy, and then got the perch rods ready. One was a float rig with lobs for bait, the other a float paternoster with bleak for bait. To the right of the swim is a big old hawthorn bush that's fallen into the river with about 6' of water next to it. I dropped the bleak rod a few feed from that (enough space so I had time to keep any big ones from shooting right into the snag), and float fished the lobs close in to the left. Maggots were fired in constantly to keep the bleak boiling away.

 

I started catching perch straight away, it was great! No big ones but a steady stream of them, some up to about a pound and a half, lovely looking fish. Most on lobs, one or two on the bleak. I then had a better fish on the lobs, it a was a good bit bigger and really scrapped hard, and I reckoned it was a '2'. While I was zeroing the scales and getting the camera ready, it did a stunning backflip out of the net back into the river, so we'll never know It's a pity I couldn't get a photo of that one, it was a gorgeous looking perch, with really vivid colours.

 

More perch of various sizes followed. It was so nice today to just sit and watch the floats. I realised it's been a really long time since I've done that. There's nothing quite like it, especially when one slides away

 

I ran out of lobs just before dusk, so packed that rod away and watched the paternoster. As the light went so I could only just make out the float, the float zipped under and the line pulled tight - I struck into a different class of fish. Very heavy (I couldn't shift it on the avon rod) and ponderous, the odd head shake, it was clearly a much bigger perch. I kept it from the hawthorn, but as I brought it up near the margin it shook its head again, and the hook pinged out. And it was gone!

 

Unlike the other big perch I lost there I didn't see this one, so I have no idea how big it could have been. But I really, really wish I'd been able to log on this evening and end this little tale differently!

 

Still, a really nice afternoon and evening. I went perch fishing and caught some perch. Can't be bad can it

[JV44]

That sounds a bit rough Tigger, glad you're OK.

 

It did feel perchy today, the leaves are falling into the river, the apple tree overhanging the water is dropping its fruit with loud 'plops', and the last of the blackberries are hanging onto the brambles, but it's still not quite right...the river still isn't really flowing, it's still quite low, and it'll be a few weeks yet before it feels perfect. Still, the perch are feeding

 

The spot I had in mind didn't feel right - too many boats, too exposed, not enough cover - so I ended up in a swim I've fished before. There are usually some perch around, and a few seasons back I lost an absolute giant from that swim. It's the one fish I've ever lost that still haunts me, it really was enormous.

 

I spent an hour or so firing maggots out to get the bleak in a good old frenzy, and then got the perch rods ready. One was a float rig with lobs for bait, the other a float paternoster with bleak for bait. To the right of the swim is a big old hawthorn bush that's fallen into the river with about 6' of water next to it. I dropped the bleak rod a few feed from that (enough space so I had time to keep any big ones from shooting right into the snag), and float fished the lobs close in to the left. Maggots were fired in constantly to keep the bleak boiling away.

 

I started catching perch straight away, it was great! No big ones but a steady stream of them, some up to about a pound and a half, lovely looking fish. Most on lobs, one or two on the bleak. I then had a better fish on the lobs, it a was a good bit bigger and really scrapped hard, and I reckoned it was a '2'. While I was zeroing the scales and getting the camera ready, it did a stunning backflip out of the net back into the river, so we'll never know It's a pity I couldn't get a photo of that one, it was a gorgeous looking perch, with really vivid colours.

 

More perch of various sizes followed. It was so nice today to just sit and watch the floats. I realised it's been a really long time since I've done that. There's nothing quite like it, especially when one slides away

 

I ran out of lobs just before dusk, so packed that rod away and watched the paternoster. As the light went so I could only just make out the float, the float zipped under and the line pulled tight - I struck into a different class of fish. Very heavy (I couldn't shift it on the avon rod) and ponderous, the odd head shake, it was clearly a much bigger perch. I kept it from the hawthorn, but as I brought it up near the margin it shook its head again, and the hook pinged out. And it was gone!

 

Unlike the other big perch I lost there I didn't see this one, so I have no idea how big it could have been. But I really, really wish I'd been able to log on this evening and end this little tale differently!

 

Still, a really nice afternoon and evening. I went perch fishing and caught some perch. Can't be bad can it

Anderoo unlucky with the last fish but sounds like you have had a good day and sport like that is always memorable,I to am haunted by a big stripey i lost a few years ago at our old marina...a truly massive fish and if you see them it makes it a recurring nightmare for a while eh?? If you don`t see them but can tell from the fight it`s a big stripey then it can be even worse ...either way unlucky ......gives us the hunger for another crack though eh?? Steve.