Perch Percidae Perca fluviatilis.
Distribution : Common throughout Britain. 
Notes : Anterior dorsal fin, spiny and separate from posterior fin. 
Very hump-backed, often prominently stripped, ventral red fins.

Found in lowland lakes, ponds and rivers. It is a handsome fish with a row of spines along the dorsal fin, and some on the gill covers. 
The body is generally green and stripped, the pelvic fins are bright red. 
 

Tackle, Bait, Techniques

Rod
10ft to 12ft

Reel
Fixed spool or Centrepin

Line b.s.
5lb, to 8lb
 

Hooks
No. 4 to No.12

Lifespan
13 years

British record
5lb 9oz, private lake in Kent 1885

Specimen
2lb

Bait and Lures
lobworm, brandling, minnow, streamer and other flies, fast-vibrating spoon or spinner

Groundbait
Lobworm, maggots and casters

Techniques
Freelining, float-fished minnow or worm, long range ledgering, spinning and fly fishing. 
 

Landing and playing a fish
 

THE PERCH is one of the most handsome of freshwater fish and one of the most aggressive predators too.

When young it moves in large shoals, rounding up fry and crashing through them, which results in hundreds of tiny fish leaping clear of the surface in an attempt to escape.

Because it is so aggressive, it is often the very first fish a young angler catches ... and that sight of a proud predator displaying its dorsal fin to the world is often enough to hook an angler for life.

Unfortunately every few years the perch population is struck by a mystery disease which all but wipes out the route species, but recently perch have been bouncing back with a vengeance and experts are predicting that fish weighing more than the current record are only just around the corner. Certainly in some European countries perch over 9lb (4kg) in weight have been caught.

Tactics
The real key to catching a big perch is to find a venue which contains a lot of them. This is best done by keeping an eye on the angling press fist stories of big fish, and then visiting the water yourself.

There are three main ways to catch a big perch, and by big I mean any fish over 1lb (0.45kg.)

Spinning is much underrated but there are (clear water) venues where this is easily the best approach as it allows you to move around and find where the perch are. The fish will usually be in the shallows close to natural features in the summer, and in deep water in the winter.

TACKLING UP

Perch are not the best fighters and 5-6lb (2.3-2.7kg) main line should cope with most situations unless there are plenty of big pike present. If so, you must use a wire trace which will, affect your catch rate, as perch are tackle-shy. It s better to find a venue with no pike present and fish a 4lb (1.1kg) mono hook length, although there are some very supple wires on the market now, such as Calibre.

Go for a small blade spinner like the ones made by Mepps (I like the Ondex) and try and make sure there is a tag of red feathers on the back of the treble hook. This is because perch chase and peck at their prey’s tail until it is unable to swim. That’s when they move in and eat it. Feathers feel like the tail of a real fish and the trick is to retrieve as slowly as you dare.

The second key method is livebaiting. Choose a small livebait like a three inch (7.6cm) roach and hook it once through the top lip with a size 6-8 wide gape hook, allowing it to swim freely under a small sliding pike float set so that the bait is about 1ft (30cm) above the bottom. Then fire maggots around the float to attract small silver fish like roach which will in turn attract perch.

The final method is good old lobworm. These are best fished on size 8 hook with a BB shot two to three inches (5-8cm) from the hook.

The worm should then be carefully injected with a small amount of air which pops it up off the bottom and allows it to wriggle enticingly. Use a clean syringe, and always air-inject the worms on a solid surface - never on the palm of your hand!

No self-respecting perch can resist this bait and freelined lobworm has accounted for some of the biggest perch ever landed.

Lobworm is best fished on a size 8 hook with
a BB shot 2-3 inches from the hook.

The worm should then be carefully injected
with a small amount of air which pops it
up off the bottom and allows it to wriggle enticingly