As we all know Perch can be found allover from lakes, canals, rivers and even little drains, 9 times out of 10 if i am targeting Perch then i will opt for the worm approach because i do believe worms will bring those specimens over the net cord.
How do you choose to fish?..
Well like i said its more often that not on worm with traditional stick float on canals fishing slightly over depth.
What makes a good Perch peg?
Good question but i do believe the right conditions have to fall into place first, firstly clear(ish) water on a nice overcast, cloudy day.. To catch fish all day you need to be in a peg that has a good head of bait fish because if the bait fish are there then so will the predators but saying that, This will most likely be alot of smaller Perch in the net. The big ones will be about but you have to get past all the smaller ones first..For me? well i prefer to have a walk about and find a few pegs that have some sort of 'cover' this could be anything from overhanging tree to a reed bed on the far margin, just somewhere that will provide a sense of security for the perch with Canal boats been great cover!!
What baiting method?
You don't need to over bait, you'll just end up feeding them up and then they will move on. What i tend to do is 4 to 6 handfuls of groundbait when i get to my peg making sure i have mixed in dead maggots and chopped worms. After that i will fish and bait on how the fishing is, if the bites are good and getting a fish every 2 - 3 casts then i will usually chuck a pinch of maggot and a pinch of chopped worm every 3 fish or so. If the bites slow down then i will up the baiting a little to try get their attention back on to my spot.
Time of day?
Like i said I'm on the bank and ready for first light but not a lot of people can do this which is fine, As the day goes on and gets closer to coming to end, with the light fading this is also a great time to be perch fishing.
How about bites?
So the float dips and you strike? wrong!! Don't rush the bites as perch are very picky and any resistance they will just spook, once the float dips just give it a second or 2 then strike that's how i find to be best.
Finally to finish this, of course if you want the true specimen perch then deadbaiting is definitely the best way to attack but that's for a different story..
-Bankside