River perching - advice needed

[riverover]

thanks fellas caught the fish on ledgered worm feeding chopped worm, maggots and casters fished in a slightly wider area of the river between two trees

ive been a couple of times since i caught and struggled location seems to be the issue i have as im not 100% sure of where i should be looking if anyone can give me a few pointers i would be grateful

i cant believe how the rivers gripped me i enjoy my time there but i feel i could be fishing better

thanks Graham

[Newt]

Graham - I've been fishing for a little over 60 years and when I hit a slow or blank patch, I also feel I could be fishing better. Sometimes that is even true and I still benefit from tips given by others.

 

For me this is all part of the fun of fishing.

 

On bright days, perch will usually be holding tight to cover and only willing to move 6 inches to take a meal. Fish a foot from them and you can blank.

 

Overcast days or at first/last light they should venture out further but may or may not be actively feeding. Inactive fish almost need to be bumped on the nose by an appealing bait to have a go at it.

 

Others who do UK perching will give specific tips but do bear in mind that some days, the fool things will not be anxious to bite and takes will be few & far between.

[Anderoo]

Perch can be really frustrating, especially this time of year. Unless the conditions are bang on, your window of opportunity can be very small indeed. We fished a small stream for perch yesterday and the feeding spell was (predictably enough) about half an hour at dusk. Two of us were in the wrong place (me included!), the other one was in the right place and caught a couple of good fish. We all fished hard all day, trying different baits (lures included) and spots, but they just weren't feeding. When they're not feeding I don't think there's anything you can do. And if you happen to be in the wrong place when they do briefly feed, you miss out.

 

Annoying isn't it! But that's all part of the fun The two of us who blanked weren't doing anything wrong and the spots we'd settled into for the hot period at dusk have good form for big perch and looked like bankers, but (as usual this season!) the fish knew better.

 

The fact that they're not easy to catch, though, is what makes catching them such an achievement.

[riverover]

Thanks fellas gonna stick at it im loving my time on the river cant wait to go again i"ll keep reading and learning and try to find a few spots roll on the weekend