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Perch in coloured water


The Flying Tench

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I was tipped off a while back that, when the Thames is up and coloured, a lot of the fish take shelter in the lock cuts, including perch. So a few hours ago I got some lobworms and descended on one such a place. It didn't feel right, though, because, as predicted, it was very coloured, and I can't remember ever catching a decent perch in coloured water. I didn't stop long because it started to rain and I didn't feel my prospects justified staying, so I guess I didn't give it a fair trial.

I'm sure a lot of fish must have gathered in that lock cut, but are perch a realistic prospect despite the colour, or do I have to wait for that magical moment when the river is still up, but the colour has dropped out? Not easy to estimate from a distance!

john clarke

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Tench,

Our perch are rarely abundant where water clarity is very low.  I must add perch on this side of the pond tend to be schooling fish'.

OTOH if you catch any perch it is likely they will be bigger.  The turbidity or murkiness provides them the concealment they need to ambush shallow prey from the bottom up in the water column. 

 

Phone

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I've had lots of perch when the rivers are up and coloured John. Going down the river dropping a couple of lobs, or small live bait into small bankside slacks, also produced the odd pike and chub. 

 

John.

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

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I've never found the lock cuts that great on the Thames, personally. Logic suggests that when the river is up and charging through (as it is now) that's where they should be, but in reality I've always struggled to catch in those spots.

To be honest (and to answer your other topic), when the Thames is like this I don't even bother. It's just not worth it. I'll wait until the colour has dropped out, the level has dropped,  and the flow settled down. You might be able to scratch a few fish out if you persist, but everything is against you.

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music

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I've read that chucking in balls of Mud around where your Legered worm is will arouse Mr Perch's curiosity. :fish:

Fishin' - "Best Fun Ya' can 'ave wi' Ya' Clothes On"!!

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On 11/21/2019 at 12:57 PM, Anderoo said:

I've never found the lock cuts that great on the Thames, personally. Logic suggests that when the river is up and charging through (as it is now) that's where they should be, but in reality I've always struggled to catch in those spots.

To be honest (and to answer your other topic), when the Thames is like this I don't even bother. It's just not worth it. I'll wait until the colour has dropped out, the level has dropped,  and the flow settled down. You might be able to scratch a few fish out if you persist, but everything is against you.

Andrew, that's interesting. You have far more experience of the Thames than me, but for what it's worth my experience on the lock cuts, though patchy, is different. My best pike, my only ever 'twenty', was caught in a Thames lock cut when it was very up and coloured. Though other trips to that lock cut when it was coloured yielded zilch so, admittedly, it was a fluke, so perhaps I shouldn't base too much on it.

I don't think any of my other evidence is when it was coloured. But at a different lock cut some youngsters have assured me they have known people catch 10 or more pike in a session. I have tried a couple of times for a couple of hours when the water was fairly low and clear with no success. So I made a mental note to try when the level was up. So inconclusive so far, but something to go for.

There are two lock cuts where I have been assured there are a reasonable number of 3lb perch. On one I tried a couple of times for an hour or so at dusk with worm with no bites. On the other I tried a bit with lures with no success, but had a 2lb 12 oz perch on wobbled smelt when after pike. My best Thames perch, though modest compared what is there, I realise.

My best Thames roach fish was in a lock cut: 16 roach between 6-11oz, mostly at the top end, in just over an hour. Nothing to a serious roach angler, but compared to my generally failed roach fishing exploits on the Thames, good.

So for a not-too-serious angler like me I feel the lock cuts do have potential, though I am still quite low on the learning curve. I'm reasonably convinced that, despite Gozzer's success in coloured water with lobworm and a roving approach, on the lock cuts I need to wait till it is fining down. Maybe bonanza time is when the flow is still fast enough to keep the fish in the cut, but when the colour has largely dropped out?

john clarke

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Tench,

Since I am a colonial maybe you didn't pay attention to my advice.  No matter, I'll say it again. In turbid water you want to fish in the brightest spot you can locate.  You do not want to fish the bottom or even close to the bottom.  The fish are sight feeders.  You goal is to make fish in 2 ft of water visible to predators 4 ft down in the water column.  Success will come when predators strike from beneath your bait.  They see "edge" very well in turbid water.  That is why lures work well.  The predatory fish almost always see the outline first (edge) - then coloUr.  Bright sunshine is a benefit in coloUred water.

 

Phone

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I can't comment about Thames Perch as never fished it. However, I have had a lot of Perch and Pike from lock cuts and canalised river sections when it has been coloured up and high. The one thing I would note, is that almost all the fish I have caught in these conditions have been from areas that have produced for me at other times. Known areas that hold fish. Trying new sections to me has often drawn a blank. So my assumption is that they will stay in the same area as normal if they can. I dont think all the text book theories about fish moving to calmer areas works out on all waters.

I don't think I would bother fishing a new area in those conditions but would give it a go if I had fished the spot before or had reliable information about it and was desperate to get out. These days, I think I would just try a local still water until conditions improved. I think the current is the main problem when the water is high and coloured. I would add that I have never had a Perch below 2lb in those conditions but that might be more to do with the odd composition of fish sizes in my area. All the fish seem to be tiddlers (Chublets, Minnows, Bleak, Ruff, Gudgeon or good sized Perch, Chub and Bream. Although, Ruff seem to feed well in those conditions even with a good current bombing through, so the odd small fish is still on the cards.

 

Stephen

 

Species Caught 2014

Zander, Pike, Bream, Roach, Tench, Perch, Rudd, Common Carp, Mirror Carp, Eel, Grayling, Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout

Species Caught 2013

Pike, Zander, Bream, Roach, Eel, Tench, Rudd, Perch, Common Carp, Koi Carp, Brown Goldfish, Grayling, Brown Trout, Chub, Roosterfish, Dorado, Black Grouper, Barracuda, Mangrove Snapper, Mutton Snapper, Jack Crevalle, Tarpon, Red Snapper

Species Caught 2012
Zander, Pike, Perch, Chub, Ruff, Gudgeon, Dace, Minnow, Wels Catfish, Common Carp, Mirror Carp, Ghost Carp, Roach, Bream, Eel, Rudd, Tench, Arapaima, Mekong Catfish, Sawai Catfish, Marbled Tiger Catfish, Amazon Redtail Catfish, Thai Redtail Catfish, Batrachian Walking Catfish, Siamese Carp, Rohu, Julliens Golden Prize Carp, Giant Gourami, Java Barb, Red Tailed Tin Foil Barb, Nile Tilapia, Black Pacu, Red Bellied Pacu, Alligator Gar
Species Caught 2011
Zander, Tench, Bream, Chub, Barbel, Roach, Rudd, Grayling, Brown Trout, Salmon Parr, Minnow, Pike, Eel, Common Carp, Mirror Carp, Ghost Carp, Koi Carp, Crucian Carp, F1 Carp, Blue Orfe, Ide, Goldfish, Brown Goldfish, Comet Goldfish, Golden Tench, Golden Rudd, Perch, Gudgeon, Ruff, Bleak, Dace, Sergeant Major, French Grunt, Yellow Tail Snapper, Tom Tate Grunt, Clown Wrasse, Slippery Dick Wrasse, Doctor Fish, Graysby, Dusky Squirrel Fish, Longspine Squirrel Fish, Stripped Croaker, Leather Jack, Emerald Parrot Fish, Red Tail Parrot Fish, White Grunt, Bone Fish
Species Caught 2010
Zander, Pike, Perch, Eel, Tench, Bream, Roach, Rudd, Mirror Carp, Common Carp, Crucian Carp, Siamese Carp, Asian Redtail Catfish, Sawai Catfish, Rohu, Amazon Redtail Catfish, Pacu, Long Tom, Moon Wrasse, Sergeant Major, Green Damsel, Tomtate Grunt, Sea Chub, Yellowtail Surgeon, Black Damsel, Blue Dot Grouper, Checkered Sea Perch, Java Rabbitfish, One Spot Snapper, Snubnose Rudderfish
Species Caught 2009
Barramundi, Spotted Sorubim Catfish, Wallago Leeri Catfish, Wallago Attu Catfish, Amazon Redtail Catfish, Mrigul, Siamese Carp, Java Barb, Tarpon, Wahoo, Barracuda, Skipjack Tuna, Bonito, Yellow Eye Rockfish, Red Snapper, Mangrove Snapper, Black Fin Snapper, Dog Snapper, Yellow Tail Snapper, Marble Grouper, Black Fin Tuna, Spanish Mackerel, Mutton Snapper, Redhind Grouper, Saddle Grouper, Schoolmaster, Coral Trout, Bar Jack, Pike, Zander, Perch, Tench, Bream, Roach, Rudd, Common Carp, Golden Tench, Wels Catfish
Species Caught 2008
Dorado, Wahoo, Barracuda, Bonito, Black Fin Tuna, Long Tom, Sergeant Major, Red Snapper, Black Damsel, Queen Trigga Fish, Red Grouper, Redhind Grouper, Rainbow Wrasse, Grey Trigger Fish, Ehrenbergs Snapper, Malabar Grouper, Lunar Fusiler, Two Tone Wrasse, Starry Dragonet, Convict Surgeonfish, Moonbeam Dwarf Angelfish,Bridled Monocle Bream, Redlined Triggerfish, Cero Mackeral, Rainbow Runner
Species Caught 2007
Arapaima, Alligator Gar, Mekong Catfish, Spotted Sorubim Catfish, Pacu, Siamese Carp, Barracuda, Black Fin Tuna, Queen Trigger Fish, Red Snapper, Yellow Tail Snapper, Honeycomb Grouper, Red Grouper, Schoolmaster, Cubera Snapper, Black Grouper, Albacore, Ballyhoo, Coney, Yellowfin Goatfish, Lattice Spinecheek

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