Despite Perch traditionally spawning April-May time, our mild winter and warm conditions over this weekend’s full moon appear to have got my local Perch excited. I had a few Perch like this on Sunday showing signs of spawning: bloated, red tinged body, swollen vent, milky colour on head.
21st March, 2014 @ 8:33 pm
Hello, Could I please ask you, if you are lure fishing for perch on say a canal that also contains pike, do you use a wire trace, or do you just have a mono or fluorocarbon leader? I mainly fish on canals for perch and chub and to-date I have always used a trace because of the pike who share the water, however I am convinced that the trace effects the finesse of the presentation and I am contemplating ditching the wire for a fluorocarbon leader, what would you advise?
Regards
Peter
26th March, 2014 @ 1:47 pm
Hi Peter. That’s a good question and I’m sure a lot of people are currently trying to work out this puzzle. Of course, wire should always be used if targeting Pike specifically. If there is even a remote chance of hooking a Pike, wire should also be used if you are using multiple hooks (trebles or other). The absolute worst outcome would be if a Pike bit you off and the gang of hooks effectively sealed the fishes mouth shut, rendering it unable to feed. That must be avoided at all costs in my opinion. For my Perch fishing I generally use 2 or 3 inch lures and I always prefer to use fluorocarbon as a leader material with these smaller lures. It is a calculated risk that I may catch a pike, even on a 2-inch lure – or smaller! However there are a few things I can do to limit the chances of catching a Pike. Firstly, in a uniform canal layout you should be able to identify where the Pike generally reside. For me that’s not always the same location as the Perch. ie I can fish for Perch with much less risk of hooking a Pike. If your Perch population resides in the same locations as the Pike, then I think you need to make a call on whether it’s worth the risk – you are effectively fishing for Perch and Pike and consequently should tackle up appropriately. I also believe that Perch respond to different lure actions when compared to the Pike. Therefore optimising retrieve rates and styles ‘can’ reduce the risk of attracting a Pike. In addition, techniques can offer some advantages. I find jighead more responsive to dropshot (less slack in the system). I have noted that I hook a bigger percentage of my fish in and around the jaw when fishing jighead (line away from sharp teeth) – probably because my reaction speed is quicker with this technique. You may want to consider that as a means of actually landing any Pike by-catch. And lastly, because you can never rule out attracting a Pike, I always de-barb my hooks in the canal, with the belief that a Pike could shed the hook once the tension is removed. I think fish are pretty clever. I would struggle to eat a live cray fish without using my hands! To be honest, I actually believe my catch rate is higher with barbless hooks. There’s less resistance in the hook set. Win-win. It’s no trouble during the fight as you are pretty much on top of the fish in a standard width canal. Barbs offer little to no benefit in my opinion. So in summary it’s about managing the risk. It’s probably safer to use wire until you work out the ins and outs of a new stretch of canal. Or fish two rods. Wire for Pike first in any swim and once the coast is clear, scale down for any resident Perch. Double fun!