Perch Fishing on Lures

Perfect haunt for Predators

After my new lure rod arrived, I was itching to head back out on the river to have another go for some of the stunning perch. After a day or so of bright and humid weather, a more overcast day motivated me to get out, as it was likely the perch would be on the prowl. The areas I had in mind consisted of a couple of darker and deeper patches of water, where I had sighted a fair few perch on a couple of occasions this summer, whilst walking the rivers. I started off in a few familiar swims and tried to get a feel for the new lure rod. I felt that extra precision and finesse in my retrieve and was hopeful that if I spotted a perch, I could agitate it into taking my jig. I opted to try the same micro pattern as my previous session, as they have an immense action through the water. After trying a few likely looking areas, I found myself in the zone which was a lot quieter and shadier, a perfect haunt for predators. After retrieving a few times in the deep hole with one less than decisive grab, I decided to try the near margin. With the aid of a simple flick cast and a nice short rod, I managed to get the lure nice and deep into the cover. As the lure hit the bottom, I slowly started to retrieve, and as I started to put a bit of a twitch from the rod tip into the retrieve, the lure got absolutely devoured. I tightened into the fish and saw that I had a lovely looking perch on. In typical river perch style it gave a great account of itself on the light lure rod.

A vividly coloured chalkstream perch!

It was great to see the perch go back strongly into the crystal clear water, and I knew that it would definitely be worth trying the deeper hole upstream. After working the pool, a nice perch came into view. I flicked my jig into its path and slowly tweaked it into its view. Without hesitation the perch snatched the lure and I was into a slightly better stamped fish. Following a great scrap, another vividly looking perch was in the net. This fish weighed it at 1lb 7oz which was actually bigger than I thought. After watching yet another fine-looking perch swim resiliently back into its watery home, it was time to go home for a spot of lunch.

A vividly coloured River Perch!

I decided a few days later to head out for another attempt at these quite elusive perch. The conditions were, again, nice and overcast and looking good for a perch or two. Several hours were spent this session struggling to tempt them on the lure of choice and finding the right opportunity to present the lure in their path. After a fair bit of pioneering and thinking, I decided to cut my lure down to a smaller size to accommodate for their finicky mood. It did take a while though to get the perfect scenario to present the lure, but once it came, it was quite a bizarre sight to witness. A pack of five perch were lined up and attacking a little eel that was burying its way into the silt. After casting the lure into their path and jigging it to agitate them, with the paddle tail convulsing in an appetising fashion, one eventually decided they had had enough and struck! After another very spirited battle another stunning river perch graced the net.

Stunning colours!

As I decided to work my way back, I decided to squeeze my way into a very dark and shaded swim. I casted the lure down stream and started to work it steadily with the odd twitch. Just as I saw the lure coming into view, I saw another pretty perch following. I slowed the retrieve and had yet another hit! Another spirited scrap followed and a very boldly coloured and proud perch I quickly admired in the water before unhooking her in the water. This one was in great condition and the colours again failed to disappoint.

It was really enjoyable to have gotten into some lure fishing with thanks going to some good mates for their helpful advice on this discipline within the sport.

Tight Lines,

Tom Aldous