Perch have got to be one of the most under rated fish in fresh water. On the bank you hear loads of comments about them that aren’t all that good. But the perch has a lot more to in than just been a spiky little critter. It’s one on the hardest fighting fish out there pound for pound and will eat almost anything! Most anglers first ever fish is a perch!
The perch is a predatory fish, usually well built, high bodied, and designed perfectly to survive in all kinds of water. At the base of its back it has a proud dorsal fin that is spiny all the way along the point and has a conspicuous black spotted on this saw-like fin. The scales of the perch are very small and embedded deep in the skin, giving the fish a rough feel and a very tough skin resistant to cuts from predators. Another famous characteristic of the perch are its stripes down its body from its back, which enable the fish to be super camouflaged, both when hunting prey to hide its presence, and to hide itself from Pike and other predators. The general colour of the perch changes in different environments. In couloured or commercial waters, the perch tend to go a ghost like pale colour, quite bland. In clear natural water, a river, canal or lake, the perch displays its impressive dark back and stripes, than run down to a greenish flank and light belly, contrasting with its lovely red ventral and anal fins. Perch can run over the 5lb mark, although average size in Britain is around 2-8oz.
The perch has two fins to act as a defence tool. Firstly the spiny dorsal hat the fish can display as a warning to predators and also to make them unpleasant to try and eat. The other is a painted gill cover, which actually contains an anti-coagulant. When spiked by the gill covers, you will notice that a cut takes some time to stop bleeding. Many anglers have been ‘spiked’ by perch, and some treat them really cautiously when unhooking. If he fish is held firmly and confidently, folding the fin down, there is no worry.
Perch spawn in April to May, and there eggs are very characteristically laid in a long string around weed and reeds, and can be up to 2m long!!! The perch is a real warrior fish, as the parent fish do not guard the eggs or fry which hatch out 14-17 days after being laid.
Perch will eat all sorts of food of all sizes due to a really large mouth. Naturally there predatory instincts sees them eat small fish and fry from a young small fish, as well as aquatic insects, worms, bloodworm, slugs etc. perch have been caught on just about every bait going, but the most famous has to be the worm. A big juicy lob worm is a killer bait, fished on any method, for a big old Billy. Maggots and casters are also good. Many match anglers target perch on natural venues, where a line is often fed with chopped up worms and casters. Perch are very greedy fish and fill up fast. You can ofted see the bait in the back of their throat, so don’t go too mad with the feed. Spinners or a small live-bait are also good ways of catching perch of all sizes.
In the middle of winter on roach hard canal matches, I have known sections to be won with one or two small perch! They can be a life saver! On the other hand, I have seen matched won with two of three massive perch! Some of the biggest perch are being caught in commercials nowadays, getting fat on anglers bait. At the White Acres Silver Fish festival, there are some huge perch caught, that usually get ignored by carp angler. Some specimen anglers specialise in catching these fantastic fish, which are often overlooked. All in all, a lovely fish, designed purely to survive, and well worth catching in many cases.
I have been a perch fisherman nearly all my life my biggest is a 3lb+ i caught that on the bottom with a bullet wieght and a lobworm with a single maggot on bite alarm.
the first time i went perch fishing i caught 11 but they were only about half a pound to a pound but it was still fun
Notify me of followup comments via e-mail
Home
Contact
Forums
RSS Feed
Tom
