How To Catch Perch

When we were kids how to catch perch really wasn't a question. In fact at that point it was all about the love of the sport. We had no pressure and it cost us very little to catch these fun fish.

The problem is through the years the great fish the yellow perch was forgotten by many. However just like anything else even the so called pros are re introducing perch into their lives. They have discovered that the great tasting fish can bring hours and hours of enjoyment almost anywhere in North America.

Lets just forget about the pros though when it comes to know how to catch perch. Most of us cant and never will be pros but at the end of the day we just want to go fishing. We just want to have fun and catching perch is a great way to do that. Fishing for perch allows anyone to catch great numbers of fish without spending thousands of dollars on gear. So spend very little money and have a great time.

Too many of us forgot the fun we had as kids. Well perch fishing is a great way to bring back those memories. It allows us to be a kid again. Just think how good it will feel to go back to the days of catching fish with non stop smiling and laughing. Oh ya plus it will provide a great meal.

The cool thing is perch can be caught at any time of the year. In almost all cases perch will take the bait being offered. The only trick sometimes is being able to get the bait in front of the fish.

When you are figuring out how to catch perch you need to know that you can find the fish abundantly in hundreds and hundreds of fresh water lakes in North America. Another great thing to know and understand is that catching perch requires very inexpensive equipment to do so. The cool thing is that almost anyone can catch perch just because they are found in so many places. Good catches of perch are reported daily almost every where in lakes, ponds, streams, rivers and lakes of North America.

Another neat thing is that in almost all cases you don't even need a boat to catch perch. You can almost always find great places for perch fishing around home as well. So at the end of the day you can fish of a shore, dock, canoe or 150 foot yacht and have great perch fishing days.

The cool thing when it comes to learning how to catch perch you wont have to learn a ton of technique.  In almost all cases yellow perch are very aggressive when it comes to biting bait and hooks.  There aren't a lot of bad places to catch perch.  However some of he best are docks, piers, break waters and deep water above the weeds.  Boats are not needed either because they can be caught from shores on streams, rivers, ponds and lakes as well.  One of the best places to find perch is in clear water just off of weed beds.  However if you know there are perch where you are fishing you will likely catch them.

Because of the usual abundance of perch you can usually talk to the people at your local fishing stores.  While there you can usually be set up with any tackle or equipment needed as well.  Eventually once you are in an area long enough you will develop your own perch fishing strategies in your area

In my years of fishing for perch I have found that fishing from shore in 6 to 12 feet of water has been the best for me.  Of course if you have a boat you could cover a little more area but it really isn't a must.  The best for me has been in 6 feet all the way into shore.  I'm sure you are noticing a bit of a pattern here.  It seems that 6 feet is the magic number when it comes to learning how to catch perch.

A very important thing to remember and understand about perch is that just like their cousin the walleye perch travel in schools.  Something else about perch is they move around a lot.  You could very easily be fishing with no luck and then a few seconds later you will be catching perch faster than you know how.  Then seconds later they could again be gone.  In telling you this it should be common sense that once you start catching you will want to get your hook back in the water as fast as you can after a bite or catch.

One of the big secrets of perch is that they are very abundant in numbers.  On fact in some smaller lakes and ponds there may be so many fish that they may not be schooling even though it seems they are.  The point of the game is that in almost all cases if there are perch you will catch them.  How to catch perch just isn't that hard.

When learning how to catch perch the type of tackle is very important.  In almost all cases when it comes to perch my favorite has been using light tackle.  If you are looking for the dream set up when it comes to perch fishing you are looking for an ultra light five foot rod with an open face reel that houses 4 pound test.  The reason I say four pound is because usually where you find perch you will find pike.  So if a pike does decide to bite at least you will have a fighting chance.  Be sure to set your drag on soft in case a pike does hit.

It seems that a lot of people also like longer ultra light rods.  Long ultra light rods can be a lot of fun but you need to understand that line when the balance becomes more of a hindrance as compared to convenience.  In some cases the longer rods can work as an advantage when needing to lean or get a bobber into a certain spot.  Once you get fishing you, yourself will figure out everything you need to understand what is going to work best for you when first learning how to catch perch.

You are also going to want to use very light tackle when it comes to things like bobbers, hooks and weights.  Perch can go in many different ways.  One day they can be very aggressive and the next day they can be very picky.  Keeping your tackle small and light opens the door to perch biting in many different situations.  If you use too big of tackle yo are limiting your options when it comes to learning how to catch perch.  Even though perch are great fun and can be very aggressive you still need to use whats best for perch.  What I am saying is what you use for pike isn't exactly what you may want for perch.

Most of us know what bobbers look like but in many cases we don't really know how to use them.  What I suggest is you visit your local tackle shop and if they are good they will show you exactly how to use your bobbers.  You will find that a bobber is one of your greatest tools when it comes to perch fishing.

Attractor hooks are a very good way to go when it comes to perch fishing.  Of course there are different types of attractor hooks.  Some weighted and some not so weighted.  Either way any of them could prove to be a good option.  An attractor hook allows color and flash plus allows enough room to use some bait such as a minnow or maggots.  What an attractor usually does is bring fish in from further away.  Once one fish sees the flash they will all start following the others.  You just cant go wrong when it comes to using an attractor hook when learning how to catch perch.

Small jigs when it comes to perch fishing are also one of my favorites.  The best way to use them is with twister tails with a bit of bait off the end.  They do work very much like an attractor hook except that there isn't quite as much room on the hook for bait.  However once you get things figured out you will get the bait thing figured out.

The cool thing is once you get to the fishing spot all you need to do is get your tackle ready to go and start fishing.  Don't mess around too much with cast after cast.  get the hook out there and wait.  After a few minutes get the hook moving a little be gently starting to reel in.  You do need to know that it may seem like yor not doing much but really you are.  Just a small move of your line will trigger lots of vibrations under the water.  You really don't want to get too aggresive with what you are doing.  Just keep doing these things slowly and then keep starting over when you get your hook to the shore or boat.

If you do start catching perch you don't want to waste much time.  You want to get the hook back in the water and keep the attention of the fish so that they dint get bored and end up taking off.

You need to make sure you do play close attention to the area once you start catching fish.  The depth is of great importance.  It really is a good bet that the temperature is their favorite at the depth they are being caught.  This little trick is very important when it comes to very hot summers or in the dead of winter.  Keeping your bait at the same depth will likely help you catch more fish.

For the most part the depths will be very close to bottom.  A couple inches above bottom is generally a good choice.  It is possible to catch perch in very deep water but its not recommended.  The pressure difference kills the fish and makes it impossible to return the small ones back to the water.  At the end of the day you just want to stay away from perch in deep water.  Be stuck to your ways and stay in the shallow water.  In almost all cases the perch will eventually find your hook and you will be enjoying fishing in the 6 to 12 foot mark.

Its okay to try different approaches, change your baits and try different colors.  When it comes to learning how to catch perch the one thing you do need to know is every day is a different day when it comes to perch fishing.  At the end of the day just go out and have fun.

In the summer, use larger pieces of bait, about a half of a night crawler, large grubs and live minnows about one and a half inches long. I use these in conjunction with attractor hooks or jig head set-ups. 

1/ Be sure the hooks you use are very sharp. I always carry a hook sharpener in my tackle box and I use it. Sharper hooks catch more fish.

2/ For the most part perch do not like big pieces of bait. You need to keep your bait small. Thats why perch love maggots so much.

3/ Learn the best way to set your hook. You want it to be firm but smooth. If you are too jerky you will just be pulling the hook right out of the fishes mouth and possibly inflicting pain.

4/ You are fishing for perch and not sharks. In saying this use the smallest and lightest tackle possible. You will catch more fish this way.

5/ Perch eyes are a great source of bait. You will notice that perch eyes will bring other perch into the area.

6/ If possible use the hooks with the greatest color. The perch will come chasing when they see that zip of color

At the end of the day it is all about having fun. Learn How To Catch Perch and you will never go back.