pike and perch.co.uk

The perch forum has started off well hit 30 members and got a mention in the Angling Mail which was spot on. So my thanks goes to the Anglers Mail for printing a small bit it has really helped get the forum on its feet. Hopefully this will continue as it looks likely that the next mention will be in Pike and Predator magazine followed by Total Coarse Fisherman. Fingers crossed on those and thank you in advance.

Also to mention the PerchFishers new book The Biggest Fish of All arrived through the door and i have got to say what an excellent book and it seems extremely well put together. I cannot wait to crack on reading it.

Good luck to all with your Pike and Perch fishing as the temps start to drop!

Thanks,
Mark

Perch on small plastics is one of my most enjoyable ways to fish, you always catch good numbers and there is always the chance of a monster. This weekend i was out using small 2″ grubs and small Kopyto 2″ shads. Casting upstream on a section that is around 6′ wide and with overgrown banks it is just how i like it. You can’t always see the lure land but with the plop of the bait hitting the water you know you are in with a chance. A nice slow retrieve with a jig to lift it from the bottom once in a while seems to be just what these perch were after.

I managed 5 on Saturday topped by a stripey of approx a pound and a half, great joy to land on the Spro Ultralight rod. Infact they are all great to land on this bit of kit. My only issue this week is the style of jighead i’ve been using… i think its time for a change as i lost a few this time out and noteably they were what felt to be much bigger fish. Still am i just doubting myself, or was it simply bad luck? Who knows but to make sure i’m off to get some jigheads with a slighty different pattern to see if it makes a difference.

If it does make a different i’ll report back soon.

Tight lines to all and get yourselves out there stripey hunting!

Perch Forum is now online! Please pop in and join up to discuss fishing for stripeys! Hopefully this time round it is protected enough not to be flooded with spam… grrrr!

See you all soon

www.perchforum.co.uk or click the forum link at the top of the page!

I had a day out planned for Monday to target the perch at a local pit i’ve not visited for 3 months. I’ve had them to just under 3lb from this lake it the past and thought it looked perfect with the weather forecast. On arrival to my dissapointment the water level had dropped 3 feet and the wind was gusting to 20mph. Not ideal but still worth a shot.

To cut a long story short I gave it a couple of hours of baiting and wandering from spot to spot but saw no signs and had no bites to signal interest. By 10am i knew it wasn’t happening, it was the kind of time when you sit there and say to yourself its not going to happen so move. So i decided to try a small stream where i’ve seen some good fish in the past.

Blimey what a difference it was beaming with life! Within the next 4 hours i had caught 4 chub and 8 perch no monsters but i was a very happy man indeed i’ll definately be back there soon to have another bash. I’ve seen chub there before to approx 6lb and perch to at least three. So until the lake improves i think i’ll be spending some more time along this stretch. Nothing like fishing the tiniest of streams and watching monsters linger on through the swim checking out your bait right in front of you. Love it!

Good luck all!

Not much to update on fishing wise at the moment as work has been consuming my weekends. But after a few requests from fisherman also interested in Perch Fishing i have decided to put the forum back online, so please check by soon and sign yourselves up.

Perch Forum

Thanks,
Mark

A quick update of how the drop shotting is getting on with the Perch. One answer – its doing the business in this mega fast flowing outlet of a large lake. The water gushes in at speed to this small outlet and a normally cast lure either gets swept away or you have to do a real quick retrieve… meaning the lure is probably only being fished for 2 or 3 seconds before its out of the hotspot.

After delving with dropshotting about a year ago i thought this would be perfect for this situation. It can effectively hold the lure static in the strike zone, something that no other technique could. And oh boy is it showing! The tally so far is up to 6 perch all over 27cms. No monsters as yet but i’ve seen them in there its just a matter of time now.

Most effective lures have been agm’s live baby shads…! They seem to love them!

Update – 3lb+ chub last night! Wehey!

Only a quick update this evening… just got back from a pretty successful trip. I managed 5 perch and a pike of around 12lb. The pike was my first to a spinnerbait and added to my tally of fish to normally un-used lures. Adding to my confidence of late.

After the first hour i had caught 3 perch and the pike, i’d decided to move to the outlet of the lake. This outlet is pretty fast flowing and has accounted for a number of small perch previously. Today i had decided i was going to try dropshotting to hold the lure in the strike zone a little longer than a short retrieve of a grub. The choice paid off pretty quickly and a perch was caught after ten minutes of arrival… 28cm and a nice scrap on the light rod. Back went the lure and after approx 5 mins i was in again this time the stripey was 27cm clearly a different fish to a small wound on the flank. Darkness was descending quickly so i made my escape whilst i could still see where i was going. This is certainly a method i will be trying again soon, it was perfect for holding the lure in the area against the flow without the need to retreive.

What else does this small outlet hold…. only time will tell but i will definately be back there soon. I’ve seen some huge chub and perch here previously so cannot wait for the next trip.

I’ll be sure to keep you informed.

Perch on lures has been the target for the last few weeks and wow has it been manic.

First evening on a huge lake the weather got the better of the fishing. I chucked alsorts at them on the light Spro Passion rod, damn its a joy to use. Albeit better when the fish are more active. The first evening i managed one perch and a pike of around 5lb. Next evening the wind had dropped so i nipped back down there. They were feeding on the fry on arrival at 7:30pm, they were chasing the lures happily but few were striking. On went an orange spinner and boom. We’d found what they had wanted… i managed 8 perch to around a pound and a bit. Also caught another pike around the 4lb mark and then all hell broke loose on the spro rod with tiny sedona reel… i’d hit a powerful fish that went on a great run on such light kit. A few mins later and a trout around three and a half pounds hit the net. Pleased was an understatement as it confirmed the sedona’s clutch is spot on! Unfortunately the light levels had dropped and so had the takes.

Three days later and i revisited the same location, the day had been warm and the evening a little muggy and a tad overcast. Conditions looked great and it certainly proved to be perfect as the fishing began. First cast resulted in a Perch around a pound. Second cast another…. over the next hour 30 perch were landed and some monsters were also spotted. Same as before though as the light fell from the sky so did the Perch from the water. We’d hit the magic hour spot on, but come 9pm they retreated to the depths. The feeding was crazy they were churning up the water looking like piranhas attacking their prey. It was an awesome sight and one that i had never witnessed before on such a grand scale.

Will i be back down there for another go, damn right i will. I just hope i hit the weather and the timing right again… there is a definate feeding window and when the light starts to go its gameover.

Succesfull lures : Orange bladed spinner + Red spotted Spinner + Ondex. Kopyto Shads. The 2.5″ Pearl Kopyto’s were singling out the better fish on the day it went mental.

Well after not getting out on the lake or rivers for 8 weeks i was chomping at the bit to get out for the last day. A new dog has been taking up all my time of late but i have reserved the last day for an outing on the River Mole.

The rain the night before helped put a little colour in the water and conditions looked perfect for a few fish on arrival. Unfortunately it was a very hard day, fishing was hard going apart from continuous takes from ravenous minnows nicking the maggots. Various techniques had been tried and by 11am things were going very slowly. Apart from the minnows i’d lost a fish that took a lob fished to the far bank… a nice whang on the quiver tip and a short fight and he had escaped. Still an hour later the tip showed some movement again, a few taps and then all went quiet. Then wham the fish had decided he wanted my bait… this time half a lob to a size 12 super specimen. Initially i’d thought it was a chub due to the speed it moved up stream. Then it rolled and i thought hello red fins, stripes – happy days! A few moments later a nice 2lb 14oz Perch graced my net. My biggest of the season, and what a way to end!

Unfortunately that was the only action of the day. With all the minnows present we were sure they’d be more perch and chub around but we threw everything at em and no more action was to be had. Every likely looking spot was cast too, every bait we had was tried. Oh well, 3 months and it will be worth another try thats for sure.

Until then its a tad more luring the lakes and the fly rod is out on Monday for the first day of the season! Can’t flippin wait!

Tight lines to all.

Firstly a Happy New Year to all, i hope it brings some monsters to your net!

Secondly what is up with this weather… gees its depressing – first snow, then freezing temps for what seemed like ages and now its chucking it down every other day! Resulting in the river being so high and coloured its hardly worth fishing. Damn i’m moaning but its doing my head in! I just want to get out there chuck some lures and do what i love doing the most. If i can’t, well i’m just not happy!

Apologies rant over…!

On to my challenge for 2011. To catch a Pike and a Perch on a fly. I don’t know what it is but i really want to catch a stripy and hook into an angry pike on a fly rod. There is just something about the method that intrigues me. I’m becoming obsessed, i’m constantly scouring the web looking at flies that i think could be the answer. Hopefully i’ll be able to go after them when this weather gets a little better. And whatever happens succeed or fail i’ll post updates to let you know how i’m getting on. Until then i’ll keep reading and spending my wages on materials and lures to help me on my mission.

Good luck to all, i hope your 2011 is a good one!