I'm sorry Mr Dace!

[Dan Dan]

So yesterday I saw the most amazing spectacle down on the River Wey. I was float fishing in a pool with some maggots happily catching small chub and dace. I just caught another little shiny dace and looked at him in my hand, shimmering all bluey green and silvery in the evening light. Beautiful right? Well it was his last show.

 

The moment I plopped him back into the water a Perch of about a pound darted out from behind a rock and nailed him straigh across the side, throwing it out of the water and back onto the bank! I was actually amazed I just sat there for a minute working out what happened. Little thing was still alive, but shocked, so I slipped it back in further down stream.

 

Another 5 minutes and I was into another dace, fighting really well on my light float rod and stick float. I just put the net under it (it was a biggun!) as the same Perch came out from it's rock again and tried to have a go at it through the net! What a crazy fish! He went back ok, but the next poor dace didn't....i put the next one back further into the current, hoping it would have a chance to dart away before Mr. Perch came out again....alas it didnt...this time there were 2 of them! They were ripping bits off the poor dace for a good part of 2 minutes when finally a shower of scales decended to the depth as the larger one gobbled him up.

 

Needless to say I switched rods and popped half a lob on the hook of my waggler rod and fed some maggots. 30 seconds and the tell tail perch bite came - a dip, a dive, and then moving off gradually sinking the float. I struck and felt solid resistance...maybe he was more than a pound! On light tackle Perch give as good as Carp or Tench in my opinion, and this one went like stink, I even had to loosen the clutch a tad.

 

Anyway, 5 minutes of faffing about and I landed what was a beautifully marked river perch of 1lb 9oz. Biggest one this season It would have weighed much less if it hadn't scoffed my other fish though!!

[Guest tigger]

They sound like Perch/Pirana hybrids to me !

Edited August 9, 2008 by tigger

[j_s]

Nice one Dan, was it the bit we fished where you caught that eel and I caught a few chublets?

[Dan Dan]

Yeah, but the pool right up by the bridge.

Edited August 10, 2008 by Dan Dan

[John Weddup]

On light tackle Perch give as good as Carp or Tench in my opinion, and this one went like stink, I even had to loosen the clutch a tad.

 

 

This is the essence of enjoying all smaller species. Match the gear to the expected species and much fun can be had. I regularly, including today, fish with a very light bomb rod into shallow fast running water for dace or chublets.

 

Today a surprise 1lb plus perch came along with numerous lovely dace chublets and roach. None huge but they all put a big bend in my light rod.

 

The rod I used today was a drennan match pro quiver 10/11 combo. It hAS 3 spliced top sections and can if need be still land large fish but is a joy to use in a clear low river catching dace and roach.

 

there are many rods like this. I also use a fox mark pollard canal bomb rod. The secret is a modern rod that will be light and bend well but modern materials also allow a bit of strength when needed.

 

 

John

[Anderoo]

...the essence of enjoying all smaller species. Match the gear to the expected species and much fun can be had. I regularly, including today, fish with a very light bomb rod into shallow fast running water for dace or chublets.

 

Absolutely

 

And it's a pleasure few anglers seem to enjoy any more. Tackle gets heavier and heavier, and before you know it you need a 15lb carp to put a decent bend in your rod. I enjoyed a wonderful couple of hours trotting at a local little stream yesterday afternoon with my light trotting rod, pin and avon float, using single caster on a size 18. I caught plenty of lovely, fat dace, several plump chublets, a couple of manic brownies, and 3 'proper' sized chub, the biggest weighing 3lb 10oz. Not a monster, but on light gear in fast water, an epic battle!