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Avoiding Deep-Hooked Perch


TrevBoy

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The last few trips I have been getting a lot of deep hooked perch. So far I have been lucky to get the hook back without apparent harm to the fish.

 

I have been using worm under a waggler, on or around the bottom, striking as soon as the float starts to move sideways or downwards.

 

Is it just the way they feed, or can I change something to help prevent it?

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never found a way of stopping it....just use smaller hooks than you might normally to help with removal.

perch tend to strike at the bait and so it goes deep...

one method is to have an ultra fine float with a very light weight pattern.....just make sure its ultra sensitive and strike asap.

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Kiri, Trev,

 

Use a much larger wide gape hook. Remember you really only use from the end of the bend to the end of the point (front length of the hook, also called the bite/throat of the hook) for the hook-set. The number one reason for deep hooking is a dull hook. (IMO)

 

Often I "offset" the point slightly (maybe 10 degrees(?) and leave the hook point exposed after baiting. Just me but IMO this tactic reduces any chance of deep hooking.

 

Phone

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Move your tell tale shot nearer the hook if it's not already close by. It could affect the number of bites but will give earlier warning and reduce deep hooking. I've never experienced deep hooking of any fish unless I am fishing over depth, moving the last shot and reducing the amount I am over depth by would always bee my immediate response to the problem. If my rig could be made more sensitive that would be my next move.

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Just what I was going to say MatS - You've saved me some typing !

 

 

RNLI Governor

 

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I have found using larger hooks with a micro barb helps but only on bigger perch, the real tiddlers always seem to find a way to swallow it down, no matter what size of bait or hook,

As famous fisherman John Gierach once said "I used to like fishing because I thought it had some larger significance. Now I like fishing because it's the one thing I can think of that probably doesn't."

 

 

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The beauty of a circle hook is that it rarely digs in until the hook is in the lip area. With a fish that seems to be deep hooked, you can normally use a gentle, steady pull and have it come out without ever having dig point into fish.

 

In the US, bluegills are greedy and terrible for deep hooking but by switching to a microbarb circle hook, I was able to reduce the number of deep hooks from about 1 fish in 4 to 1 in 50.

" My choices in life were either to be a piano player in a whore house or a politician. And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference!" - Harry Truman, 33rd US President

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I've got to agree with MatS and Vagabond, I'd look to your 'tell tale' shot. The nearer it is to your bait, the sooner the bite will register, with less chance of a deep hooking.

 

John.

Angling is more than just catching fish, if it wasn't it would just be called 'catching'......... John

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What are people's thoughts on presenting perch bait well off the bottom? On the canal I tend to fish lobworms six inches or so under depth and I don't think it puts them off. Bites are positive dips rather than the float gently moving away sideways and I rarely deep hook.

 

I know perch aren't tolerant of an increase in resistance but they don't seem to mind a lobworm dangling mid-water, even the larger fish.

It's never a 'six', let's put it back

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