Ultra Light Lures,

[henda11]

hiya, i was wondering if anyone had any recommendations on some ultra light lures for perch etc.....

 

if you do could you maybe find me some links to the appropriate lures that could be used?

[Steve Burke]

We get requests for recommended lures quite regularly. You won't be short of recommendations!

 

However what works on one water won't on another and so these recommendations in isolation are of limited usefulness. This is because different lures run at different depths, especially many plugs.

 

The depth you need to fish is important with all species but particularly so with perch. This is because their swimbladder arrangement means that they can't sustain rapid depth changes. Whilst perch can for instance chase a small fish up to the surface, they can't stay there long without discomfort.

 

If you let us know more about the waters you'll be fishing, including the depth, I'm sure that we can come up with lots of ideas. It would also be useful to tell us what weight you class as ultralight, as there are different views here in the UK compared with the US in particular.

[VSTOL Lures]

As I said before Henda the Rebel range is excellent, they do a variety of ultralights that will fish at a variety of depths. Small Mepps spinners (Sizes 00 and 0) are great, as is the classic British pattern fly spoon. I've also used lots of small plastic lures in the past (tiny minnows, insects, worms etc) and the kind of US style Crappie lures you can get. Don't forget you can even use the larger trout and salmon lures on very light line close in by the margins. I've had Perch to 2lb on trout streamers using a 6 foot spinning rod and line of 2 - 4 lb.

 

If you need any more information feel free to contact me by PM.

 

Regards

[rarepleasures]

hiya, i was wondering if anyone had any recommendations on some ultra light lures for perch etc.....

 

If your a total beginner I'd recommend half a lobworm for Perch and get a little more experience or some coaching before lure fishing.

Removing trebles can be difficult, and I think the recommended practice is that you use a wire trace in case you hook into a Pike.

 

I thinking the more experienced lure anglers here can help you with the fish safety aspect.

[VSTOL Lures]

If your a total beginner I'd recommend half a lobworm for Perch and get a little more experience or some coaching before lure fishing.

Removing trebles can be difficult, and I think the recommended practice is that you use a wire trace in case you hook into a Pike.

 

I thinking the more experienced lure anglers here can help you with the fish safety aspect.

 

 

Removing trebles certainly is a pain in the proverbial backside. What I do is crimp the barbs off the hooks - make unhooking much less painful (for you and the fish). If you're worried about losing fish because you are barbless you can just crimp two of the three barbs for peace of mind. The biggest problem with trebles its getting tangled in the landing net or getting snagged! Again, there are lures on the market that are "weedless" or single hooked which means less snags and tangles.

 

I certainly wouldn't be put off lure fishing, but as rarepleasures says maybe it is better to start of with general coarse angling as lure fishing is a highly specialised branch of angling. The rule is of course to ALWAYS use a wire trace unless you are 110% certain there are no pike or zander in the water you are fishing. Although you are more likely to hook a Perch in open water, a Pike (especially a young Jack) is always a safe bet to grab your lure, no matter what your fishing for.

 

You also don't mention what tackle you have. For general light spinning I reccomend a smallish fixed spool reel, a rod between 6 and 10 foot (depending on water size) and line between 6 and 15lb depending on water size, conditions and how close you are fishing to snags!!!

[Ken L]

U/L would normally be lures of 5g or less. Lots of option on the Harris site but my favorits would be either small soft plastics, size 00 - 1 spinners or tiny plugs. Of the plugs, I have a soft spot for the little Norman crawfish patterns which dive and cast reasonably well and seem irrisistable to little perch.

 

U/L is a much abused term though and requires specialist rods and reels. Personally, I only use my U/L gear for stillwater fishing in the spring, because once the weed starts growing, you don't have enough power to hustle fish away from it and it just won't control a decent fish in running water.

[Newt]

I certainly wouldn't be put off lure fishing, but as rarepleasures says maybe it is better to start of with general coarse angling as lure fishing is a highly specialised branch of angling.

 

VSTOL - I really don't think I can agree with that as a general statement although it does seem to be UK-true as it is a commonly held idea over there.

 

Lure fishing

• grab up your fixed spool rod/reel
  
• tie on the lure of your choice. Use a wire trace if there are tooty critters present
  
• cast & retrieve
  

Carp fishing

• set up bank sticks or rod pods with bite alarms and hangers/swingers (difficult unless you've been well taught)
  
• prep the sort of groundbait you plan to use (choice based on water conditions, time of year, etc.)
  
• bait the area you plan to fish using spod, catapault, or other means of putting bait out at distance.
  
• tie up one of the 17 major carp rigs or one of the several hundred variations of the major ones
  
• use a baiting needle to put your choice onto the rig
  
• load the feeder or pva bag if you use either of those
  
• cast out, making sure you can hit the exact spot you are baiting and that your rig is properly done so the hook & bait are free and ready for a fish
  

Float fishing

• Sorry but even though I've seen this one explained dozens of times on here over the years, I still know too little about how to choose the right rod and float and to get a shotting pattern that will work. I have figured out that if you don't do things just perfectly, you probably won't catch much, if anything.
  .
  

[ColinW]

I've had success with ultra light lures for perch.

 

They're sometimes called flies. Monstrous great big ones intended for pike!