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Perch is a predatory fish and any small fish that is found in the reservoir is the most accessible food for a striped predator. Based on this fact, many anglers practice perch fishing on live bait, in parallel with the use of artificial lures. Although, it should be noted that there are so many artificial baits on sale, and they are quite effective that you can do without live bait. The set of equipment for perch fishing is simply huge.
As a rule, the basis of the diet of this striped predator is small individuals, 6-8 cm long. Despite this, perch can bite on worms, especially in spring, on small crustaceans in summer and gammarus in autumn. If the perch cannot find suitable food for itself, it will be able to switch to feeding on insects. Perch are characterized by the fact that they will always pursue the kind of food that is easy to get.
For his hunting, he chooses clean areas of the reservoir, hiding in thickets of aquatic vegetation.
Live bait fishing involves catching larger perchusing a small fish for this. Smaller individuals are successfully caught on a worm.
The advantages of this type of fishing include the fact that it is not difficult to get a suitable live bait, as well as the likelihood of catching a large striped predator, compared with the use of a worm or maggot. The disadvantages include problems with putting a small fish on a hook and problems with its storage. Experienced anglers without any problems solve a similar problem. If fishing is carried out in summer or in conditions when the reservoir is not yet covered with ice, then live bait can be caught directly on the river or lake. In this case, one part of the problem disappears.
The following types of fish are considered the best small individuals used as live bait: crucian carp, minnow, top, roach, bleak, minnow, chub, including perch fry.
How to catch a live bait
Catching small individuals is not difficult. There are reservoirs where you can catch fry, moving away from the shore (into the water) half a meter and scoop up water with an ordinary can. This simple method allows you to catch from 1 to 3 fry at a time. But this is purely theoretical. In fact, fish, although small, cannot be caught in this way.
Unfortunately, not in every reservoir you can find such a density of fish, so the fishermen use the “painter”. Before setting it up, it is best to lure the place in order to guarantee the catch. The presence of at least some kind of food object will be able to collect a sufficient number of small fish in one place. This device is installed closer to the bottom. After a certain time, the tackle is removed from the water, after which most of the “little things” that floated above it end up in the grid of the device.
The easiest option is to buy live bait in the market or in a specialized store. Although this simple option is fraught with a certain danger associated with the activity of the live bait. It may happen that upon arrival at the reservoir there will be nothing to put on the hook.
Live bait storage and transportation
Everyone knows that the caught “trifle” does not live long, so it is important not to catch the live bait, but to save it. Live bait is stored under the following conditions:
- constant temperature. Neither cooling of water nor its heating is allowed.
- Frequent water changesto provide fish with oxygen.
For storage of fry, dishes of the appropriate size are selected. It is very important that the fry have enough free space and enough oxygen. A ten liter bucket of water is ideal. At the same time, the water in the bucket should be changed regularly. If it is noticed that the fry stay near the surface of the water and try to swallow air, then you need to urgently change the water.
Fry are transported in a closed container with water. There should be a lot of water, since the container closes tightly, and there is practically no access to oxygen.
There is another option that is aimed at not killing fish fry. It comes down to the use of artificial lures that mimic the movements of live fish. If you practice a little, then it is quite possible to refuse live bait.
Tackle selection
Rod
The choice of gear should begin with the choice of rod. When choosing, you should take into account the fact that the lips of the perch are soft and the tip of the rod should also be soft. The soft tip will not allow you to cut off his lip, which happens quite often with inexperienced anglers.
Fishing line
The selected fishing line can have a thickness of 0,22 to 0,25 mm. Color does not really matter, but it is better to take a neutral or green line. Both colors can go unnoticed by perch: a neutral color will really blend in with the water, and a green color will match the color of the vegetation. Naturally, you should give preference to high-quality fishing line, which is not cheap. As an option, you can offer fluorocarbon, which is increasingly used by anglers. The fish will certainly not notice him. Although fluorocarbon has specific characteristics that cannot affect perch fishing.
Hooks
Particular attention should be paid to the choice of hook. The most catchy, in our time, are considered to be hooks that have a medium-length forearm and a sting bent inward.
We must not forget that the fry must remain active under water for a long time. Therefore, it is better to opt for hooks made of thin wire so as not to injure the live bait.
Coil
The coil is only inertia-free. This type of coil is very popular nowadays because of its simplicity and reliability, especially if the coil is from a well-known manufacturer. On the other hand, the perch does not grow to a serious size and there are no special requirements for the reel.
Float
The float can be anything. Although it is important to take into account the nature of the bites of a predator: the float can go to the side or go under water.
How to plant live bait
Before you plant a live bait, you need to choose the appropriate size of the hook. The size of the live bait and the size of the hook must be comparable. If you use a large hook, then the live bait will not live long, and if it is small, then the live bait can go off the hook. Live bait is planted in several ways:
- The hook clings to the tail. Moreover, the tail is wrapped in advance with nylon or nylon thread.
- The hook clings to the back in the region of the upper fin. In this case, care must be taken not to injure the small fish, otherwise it will simply die.
- Hook fastening around the headwhen the hook is passed through the mouth and exits through the gills. This is considered the easiest and most reliable way.
On stagnant water, it is possible to catch perch on a mormyshka with replanting fry. Mormyshka quite often rescues the angler in conditions when fishing on a float leads to constant hooks. When fishing in spring and autumn, it is advisable to use a line of 0,17-0,22 mm. In winter, it is recommended to use even thinner fishing line – 0,13-0,14 mm. This is due to the fact that in winter the fish are not so active and rough tackle can alert them.
Mormyshka fishing is common, using classic types of postings.
When putting the live bait on the hook, it should be remembered that the fry is able to start the tackle for any obstacle. Therefore, you need to choose suitable places to avoid hooks.
Features of fishing by time of year and day
In different periods of the seasons, perch can be on different water horizons. Small and medium-sized individuals prefer to be in backwaters with dense aquatic vegetation. With the advent of autumn, they all move to open areas of the reservoir. As for the large perch, it spends most of its time at depth and rises from there only in the morning and late in the evening.
Perch is a schooling fish. Each flock can consist of 10 to 15 individuals. So, having caught one striped predator, you can count on subsequent bites.
In ponds with stagnant water, perch prefers to be in the vicinity of deep-growing plants, next to unpolluted places. In the rivers, the perch also inhabits thickets, and in their absence, places with a weak current, where there are underwater heaps of stones, boulders and snags. Perch start fishing at dawn and finish pecking at sunset. Compared to other fish species, perch are not caught at night. It is most active on a warm sunny day early in the morning and at sunset. During these periods, a large perch comes out to hunt, after he has spent the whole day in a shelter at a depth.
Fishing in warm weather
In spring, summer and autumn, perch is caught as usual, but with the advent of winter, a lot changes. The most active perch is caught after 1,5-3 weeks after freezing. Moreover, they catch perch in winter in the same areas of the water area as in summer. At the height of winter, the perch breaks up into small flocks of 5-7 individuals and migrates throughout the reservoir, in search of deeper places. Cold water causes perch to leave their usual places.
Fishing in winter
A good biting perch in winter is observed in quiet, calm weather with frost from 10 to 20 degrees. As a rule, perch activity is observed in the morning and evening hours.
Video clip
This video contains information about catching perch on live bait in the summer using bottom gear. Here you can also see how to properly hook the live bait.
Serious about fishing. Behind a perch for live bait
Conclusion
Live bait fishing is an interesting and quite effective way of catching perch and other predatory fish species. At the same time, it should be noted that live bait fishing is prohibited in Europe and is considered a barbaric type of fishing. And yet, our anglers everywhere practice catching predatory fish on live bait.