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jigging for perch


The Flying Tench

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There is an article in Anglers Mail this week by Steve Collett about how he won a European lure fishing contest on the Gloucester Canal by catching 88 perch, mostly small with one 2 pounder. The contest was decided by length rather than weight, so it's clear why catching a lot of small fish was the right strategy. He used very small lures, and caught a lot of the fish close to the near bank, jigging under the rod tip.

 

A point which surprised me was that he lowers the lure in slowly, a foot at a time, to see what height the fish are at. He rarely catches perch on the bottom, and when he does find them there he has a very light jig head so that the lure drops slowly. The last point doesn't surprise me. Under Kappa's guidance I know that perch often take on the drop.

 

But the bit about lowering the lure slowly, a foot at a time, was more of a surprise. The few times I've tried it didn't work. And I've mostly caught within a foot of the bottom. I'd be interested to hear other's experience.

john clarke

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Isnt jigging not a bottom fishing method?

A fish will move up to grab a bait so fishing on the bottom difficult because of weed and sticks so a bit pointless ,also by doing it slowly he can judge where the shoal is rather than letting the jig drop straight through .

 

Not had much success jigging but found fish spinning are at the top or middle most times i expect perch either hide in weeds striking at food seen more easily from below or perhaps mask their shape coming out of the sun as it were ?most times spinning along the bottom caught bottom or someone elses line breaking off trying to land the bottom lol

 

You need Mr Burke he will know

 

Anyway i am off dirt fishing at 1 the only perch will be the distance i walk before disapointment sets in

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When I lived in NSW, I used to go to Copeton Dam near the town of Inverell and catch cricket scores of redfin on a little lure called Bill's bluddy terror. It was a matter of jigging from the bottom to a couple of feet from the surface, much the same as deep sea jigging for big tuna and kingfish.

 

https://www.google.com.au/search?q=bill%27s+bluddy+terror+fishing+lure&client=firefox-b&dcr=0&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiHwtTt3vDWAhWBzbwKHRgiBq4QsAQILg&biw=1093&bih=475#imgrc=o0jS2-hnlfANBM:

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Cheers, Bobj.

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Tench,

 

Our perch nearly always rise to a jig, nearly never descend to a jig and are difficult to hook parallel to the jig.

 

When I used to perch fish I would often use the same method EXCEPT in reverse.

 

I know you can't, or at least don't open a fish or two. This would give you the answer you are seeking. What are they eating? Our perch are NOT big worm eaters as a rule. Few perch live on the bottom in my region of the US.

 

Phone

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The contest was decided by length rather than weight, so it's clear why catching a lot of small fish was the right strategy. He used very small lures, and caught a lot of the fish close to the near bank, jigging under the rod tip.

 

I learnt, whilst still a schoolboy, that a surefire place for small (ie 6" or less) perch is a swim, deeper that about 3 ft and up to 12 ft very close to the bank, especially if there are tree or shrub roots under the water.

 

Later in life I learnt that it is a place for big perch (ie from 2 lb upwards) also - and they don't use the roots for "ambush", they come in from the open water and grab any small perch not quick enough to hide in the roots. Moreover, having grabbed a small perch, the bigger perch retreat into open water to "turn" their prey - which suggests they don't want to release it too close to the roots lest they lose it again.

 

I have had the opportunity to watch this in clear water - several times.

 

Hence a large bag of tiddler perch and a single 2 pounder is quite consistent with the above.

 

Very rarely from such a swim do I catch perch between (say) half a pound and 2 pound - invariably I catch either bigger or smaller fish - and more of the latter, alas.

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