Spinning for
still water perch
Anyone who spins for
Pike on a regular basis has probably caught
the odd big perch. But all too often these
catches are dismissed as freak captures, and
spinning for perch is still largely ignored
as a viable technique by most anglers. This
is unfortunate because by making a few adjustments to your normal
pike spinning procedures and observing a few basic ground rules,
you can make some tremendous catches from all types of waters.
Perch hunt mainly by sight so water clarity
is obviously very important. If the water is clear then there is
no reason why spinning for perch shouldn't succeed. If the water
is cloudy, then a static bait such as legered
worm or small dead-bait would suffice.
The early part of the season find perch
spread along the margins of a typical still water. During the summer months, the
margins are home to millions of fry
(generally juvenile roach and perch) which
form the staple diet of large perch. Big Perch, along with many other species are
at their most active during dawn and dusk
periods in
the summer months.
You can often see perch chasing fry, tell
tail signs are small fish leaping
repeatedly across the surface in an attempt
to escape a hungry perch. Armed with a light
spinning rod, you can enjoy some tremendous
sport by working a small spinner through
these areas.
However, the best chances of taking a bigger
specimen comes in the autumn as
temperatures fall, the large adults shoals
gradually head for the deeper water. During this period they are
hungry, active and extremely aggressive, with many large perch often packed into surprisingly small
areas. With the onset of winter, they
become less active and move into the
deepest water they can find.
The Rod
Spinning for Perch
calls for a fairly light and sensitive rod, so that the tip
actually bends slightly as you retrieve. Too stiff then the rod
gives you the wrong action thus preventing the spinner from
working properly.
Remember, you are trying to imitate a small
crippled fish with your spinner and not dragging a chunk of
metal through the water. You require a through action rod around
10-11ft with an ideal test curve of 1¼ lb. You also need a good
fixed spool reel which balances the rod. Load the reel with
tough line, it needs to be tough enough to withstand the rigours
of repeat casting and the odd underwater obstacle but it also
needs to be fine and supple enough to cut cleanly through the
water without creating too much drag. I use 5lb to 7lb B.S.
(breaking strain) that fits the bill nicely. Tip! Try and avoid using
pre-stretch lines as these aren’t tough enough.
Spinners
A 3lb Perch is perfectly capable of swallowing prey fish of all
sizes up to 6oz, so large spinners and spoon are quite
attractive to them. Also a ¾oz spinner casts further and bites
the water better than the smaller ones, sending out vibrations
and showing up more clearly to the perch. There are many
thousand of perch lures on the market but a few basic designs
have accounted for a large number of quality perch year in and
year out.
Barspoon spinners are the ideal choice for bank fishing. In my
opinion the best pattern has to be a red body and the silver
gold blade. The blade is highly visible and the red is noted for
being what perch seem to be attracted. The ABU Reflex is
perhaps the most successful Barspoon with its well weighted body
and a feathered treble hook.
If you choose other makes of spinners such as Mepps, then you
need to put some feathers or red wool on the treble like in the
picture above. This encourages a perch to snap as it would the
tail of a small fish in order to cripple it. The ¾ oz size is
ideal, it will cast a long way and sink more quickly and the
blade spins round well on the retrieve. Spoons are generally
heavier than bar spoons and because of this they come into their
own for boat fishing over a very deep water. A very slow
retrieve keep them working just clear of the bottom and they
wave like a ripple surface action which is highly
attractive to perch and pike.
Toby Lure
There are many proven lures on the market but I found that a
Toby type lures and the Abu Atom in gold, silver, copper and
perch colours in 18grams work just as well. The Atom, in particular
has a very violent action even at slow speed. It also has an
added advantage that sometimes account for fish on the drop
since its body form allows it to flutter down through the water.
Sometimes big perch often strike at the lure as it sinks, and
the takes can be quite violent. Wires traces are strongly
advised to prevent bite off from the inevitable pike takes.
Perch aren’t deterred by the wire, they usually attack a spinner
from behind!
Please Note: If
you're are fishing where pike are present, then please use a
wire trace to be on the safe side.
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