One Bait, Three Fish but none landed

[Dales]

I'll once again endear myself to Gozzer, Androo and probably every PURIST perch fisherman in England. I don't think wire traces make a tinkers dam to fish on the prowl. they make a difference in bait presentation but the trace doesn't matter to the fish.

 

Phone, the wire thing is an odd one and it has been discussed on here a few times and I can only talk from my experience and for me it does put off Perch. Maybe others have caught plenty of Perch on live baits with wire but I struggle.

 

I don't like to attribute to much inteligence to fish but in clear water I saw a group of five Perch well over 2lb circle a Roach on a wire trace and clearly be excited by the situation, fins and spiked dorsal fins erect and clearly agitated by the Roach, one even had a nip of the tail. They clearly wanted to eat it but where reluctant, the bait presentation was not subtle but I do believe pressured fish can and do reactive different to pure wild and uncaught fish.

 

These are wild fish in the sense they where never stocked and are in a river and can swim to other areas if they choose but if they stay local they are in a syndicate stretch of river and could well have been caught and released a number of times before. They are of a size that no one will ever take them for bait and as long as they stay with in the fishery they will not be taken for food. I have no idea whether they learn, remember or are always cautious which is doubtful if you think how suicidal young Perch are but for what ever reason on some waters big Perch are ultra cautious.

[Phone]

Dales,

 

Having been beat around the head and neck with an ugly stick on the subject by every Brit in England and perhaps further North. I agree - I am a minority of one. I stand by my convictions. However, a wire trace will affect the presentation and movement of the bait. Specimen will be less wary than tiddlers.

 

And, of course, I could be wrong. But it would only be the second time since 1955 and I seriously doubt that has happened. Once feeding you can catch them (specimen predators) on cotton closeline rope.

 

Phone

[Steve Burke]

A question guys?

 

What is the biggest sized Perch you could use as a bait for a Perch around 3lb. Could a Perch of around 3lb eat a biggish Perch. Any ideas? super fresh Perch dead baits might be much easier to come by then Roach.

 

The biggest perch deadbaits I've used were 8 inches long, and these have caught me perch well under 3lbs.

[Steve Burke]

And some say perch are easy to catch!

 

Every situation's going to be different and will take some experimentation. There are a number of possibilities, but in similar situations I've sometimes succeeded by loose feeding chopped worm for at least half an hour, preferably an hour, without casting in. Once I eventually do so it's a whole lobworm with as little disturbance as possible.

 

It's by no means infallible, but it has caught me some "impossible" specimen stripies.

[Dales]

Thanks Steve, I am going to give it a serious go before the season ends. I just wish it had not turned so cold all of a sudden but still a few weeks left to experiment.