Back Print Page Email Page

 If you want to have a ball and rediscover your childhood, try perch fishing. There’s no season on perch and they are usually willing to hit just about anything. Best of all, you won’t need a lot of expensive equipment for perch fishing, and they can be caught in nearly any body of water. Sure it takes a whole mess of perch to make a meal but fresh perch is some of the finest eating around.

You’ll want to keep in mind, when perch fishing, that perch is a migratory species and they tend to run in schools. Since they are constantly on the move, one minute you could be perch fishing a spot with nary a nibble then all the sudden, you start getting hits with every cast. The key to perch fishing is to reel these devils in as fast as possible and get that line back out as fast as you can before they move out.

Perch fishing during the summer you’ll want to set your line fairly deep, usually around 15 feet, and during the spring or fall, they’ll be running more shallow somewhere around 6 feet. When Perch fishing deep lakes, you can find them as deep as 40 feet but keep in mind that perch fishing at this depth is a whole different matter, requiring special tackle and an entirely different technique. In my opinion, it’s much more fun sticking with shallower depths, you’ll catch more fish. 

In waters like ponds or small lakes, it‘s important to find the right depth when perch fishing. Reason being, perch may be less migratory in these type environments. Once you’ve found how deep the perch are in the water, you can move around to different spots and catch plenty by simply maintaining that line depth.

DON’T make a lot of noise or churn up the water by over working the bait when perch fishing. After a few moments with your bait in the water, gently tease the bait by tapping the line with your finger near the reel. If nothing happens, reel the line in a few feet and let the bait settle, then repeat tapping the line. Keep doing this until the line is back to your location.

A few final tips. Carry a hook hone and keep your hooks (the smallest possible) very sharp. Perch won’t hit huge pieces of bait, so keep it small. Use the lightest line possible and set the hook with a sharp whip. If the water is murky, use attractor or colored hooks. Follow these simple guidelines and I guarantee you’ll rediscover the youthful joy that only perch fishing can bring.