Perch, perch, perch!
Perch, perch, perch!
2020 was a very different fishing year for me. Winds consistently interfered with my favorite method, twitching Trout Magnets and other small soft plastics on SUL gear. The plus side is I was forced to focus more on BFS, but that's another post.
One thing I love about late fall in New Jersey is that yellow perch fishing turns on and this year there have been enough light wind days to allow me to capitalize on my SUL gear. My go to rod is the Major Craft Finetail FAX-632SUL. The reel, a shallow spooled Shimano Soare BB spooled with Varivas 2.3# ester line. When I use a leader, it's Kastking 0.16 mm 4# flouro, but I frequently do without.
Almost all the fishing is bank fishing, which oddly enough usually proves more productive than in the kayak or tin boat. Jigs heads used range from 0.5 - 2 g. The heavier end is almost always less productive but sometimes necessary if the only findable schools are fairly far out or there's too much wind. Soft plastics include Trout Magnets, Crappie Sliders, micro tubes and slender paddle tails.
The bite is best on cloudy or rainy days. Caught 60+ fish in an afternoon by suffering through cold and rain. Suffering is a poor word choice, since I found it to be pure joy, despite the elements. It's so rewarding trying various spots, depths, retrieve techniques until you find the key to that day's fishing.
Between the wonderfully sensitive Finetail and the no-stretch ester, even the lightest takes can be detected. I call this rod a magic wand, because somehow it tells me subconsciously when a fish is on. You know, those times when the fish takes the bait from behind and swims with it. You just "know" its there and set the hook. Such a great feeling.
I'm amazed by how often the hooked perch come cartwheeling out of the water like trout. Not sure I remember it happening as much in the spring or summer.
Of course I won't complain when a bass takes the lure. When I hooked the one pictured below it immediately conveyed the weight of a bass but then did such perch-like head shakes that I thought maybe I was in to record setting, monster perch.
One thing I love about late fall in New Jersey is that yellow perch fishing turns on and this year there have been enough light wind days to allow me to capitalize on my SUL gear. My go to rod is the Major Craft Finetail FAX-632SUL. The reel, a shallow spooled Shimano Soare BB spooled with Varivas 2.3# ester line. When I use a leader, it's Kastking 0.16 mm 4# flouro, but I frequently do without.
Almost all the fishing is bank fishing, which oddly enough usually proves more productive than in the kayak or tin boat. Jigs heads used range from 0.5 - 2 g. The heavier end is almost always less productive but sometimes necessary if the only findable schools are fairly far out or there's too much wind. Soft plastics include Trout Magnets, Crappie Sliders, micro tubes and slender paddle tails.
The bite is best on cloudy or rainy days. Caught 60+ fish in an afternoon by suffering through cold and rain. Suffering is a poor word choice, since I found it to be pure joy, despite the elements. It's so rewarding trying various spots, depths, retrieve techniques until you find the key to that day's fishing.
Between the wonderfully sensitive Finetail and the no-stretch ester, even the lightest takes can be detected. I call this rod a magic wand, because somehow it tells me subconsciously when a fish is on. You know, those times when the fish takes the bait from behind and swims with it. You just "know" its there and set the hook. Such a great feeling.
I'm amazed by how often the hooked perch come cartwheeling out of the water like trout. Not sure I remember it happening as much in the spring or summer.
Of course I won't complain when a bass takes the lure. When I hooked the one pictured below it immediately conveyed the weight of a bass but then did such perch-like head shakes that I thought maybe I was in to record setting, monster perch.
- Hobie-Wan Kenobi
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Re: Perch, perch, perch!
I been doing good on bluegill this past year. I got a few surprise perch bites. 10-14in perch really bend a rod.
IG @hobie_wan_kenobi_fishing
- BRONZEBACK32
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Re: Perch, perch, perch!
Nice reel, I just picked up the 500s.
I so can't wait for ice fishing perch this year....
I so can't wait for ice fishing perch this year....
Re: Perch, perch, perch!
Amazing perch! I've only caught two that size in my lifetime, would certainly chase them if they grew that big near me,
- Gone Phishin
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Re: Perch, perch, perch!
Absolutely beautiful! It reminds me of when I was a kid, fishing the banks of Lake Michigan with my old man for perch. Back then, the ticket to a limit was pink or green lead heads tipped with hunks of fresh craw tail meat.
- AlgonquinFan
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Re: Perch, perch, perch!
Very nice. Wish there were perch like that up here around Ottawa.
Re: Perch, perch, perch!
Thanks. What attracted me to the Soare BB was that it has a shallow spool and a reasonable price. Think it was below $150 ordered from Japan. Have one each in slow and high speed. My first decent spinning reel was a Stradic Ci4+ 1000. Good reel but it's got a silly deep spool! Why the hell would you put a deep spool on small, UL reel?BRONZEBACK32 wrote: ↑Mon Nov 23, 2020 5:37 pmNice reel, I just picked up the 500s.
I so can't wait for ice fishing perch this year....
Re: Perch, perch, perch!
Really nice (bright) colour perches! (There is nothing wrong with dark ones, but bright ones are nicer in my opinion.) Nice yellow tone in those!
Re: Perch, perch, perch!
Well done
Hard to find a prettier fish. They tend to hit hard but have no fight to them at all. Landing them on UL gear makes it more fun without a doubt.
Interesting footnote ... the world record yellow perch was caught way back in 1865 in of all places ... New Jersey !!! 4 lbs 3 oz /18" long. I couldn't even imagine that ...
Hard to find a prettier fish. They tend to hit hard but have no fight to them at all. Landing them on UL gear makes it more fun without a doubt.
Interesting footnote ... the world record yellow perch was caught way back in 1865 in of all places ... New Jersey !!! 4 lbs 3 oz /18" long. I couldn't even imagine that ...
Re: Perch, perch, perch!
In my opinion big perch pulls line in light tackle that much that sometimes it's not clear is it pike or perch..
Medium to small perches usually chatters so much that those are easy to identify what it is.
Medium to small perches usually chatters so much that those are easy to identify what it is.
Re: Perch, perch, perch!
What a beautiful perch! There are perch in the waters all around me and as many as I often catch, I have yet to catch one that size. It's on my list of fishing goals for sure! SUL makes it that much better! I bet that bass sure was fun
Re: Perch, perch, perch!
Looks fantastic. Thanks for the post and photos. I will have to try ester some day.
Re: Perch, perch, perch!
Yeah they do. Rock bass are also formidable on UL gear. Hooked into a lot of those perching on Lake St Clair this year. They seem to fight almost as hard as smallmouth.Hobie-Wan Kenobi wrote: ↑Mon Nov 23, 2020 3:34 pmI been doing good on bluegill this past year. I got a few surprise perch bites. 10-14in perch really bend a rod.
Re: Perch, perch, perch!
Anyone else experiencing them breaching during the fight when the water is cold? Ive had some shoot out of the water multiple times. Maybe they do it all year but I just didn't take notice.
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- Elite Angler
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Re: Perch, perch, perch!
A while back, before I discovered high end gear, we found a honey hole for perch. The old man kept his cruiser at a slip with deeper water than most of the marinas around the lake. We'd of course try our luck for bass from the docks and at night we'd take a sixer along with some chicken livers dropped to the bottom and do well with channel cats. One day we took some minnows down there and dropped them down to the bottom on light spinning gear, boom! Did not know that our lake had perch and turns out they are a lot of fun to catch on ultra light/ light gear. Just sink the minnow down in between this one particular slip, wait a couple minutes, and then the rod starts to bending and shaking! Definitely a lot of fun to catch!
just hotdogin it