There are two sorts of location. Finding the right water, and then finding the fish. Perch can be very obliging in that they cover most areas of the lake in search of prey, so find the prey fish and the perch won’t be far away. Which leaves finding the right water and that can be much harder.
For several years when I was concentrating on my carp fishing, it seemed that every water I enquired about had a big common in it, that was seen but never caught. In the last few years the same seems to be happening with perch, so getting accurate information of the true potential of a water can be a bit hit and miss so when fellow Daiwa consultant Bob Roberts called me with a suggested water for us to try I was very interested. Bob’s knowledge of the waters in our part of the country is second to none, not just the rivers but the commercial match venues as well. Getting to the big perch on a well-stocked commercial in the warmer months can be almost impossible, but in winter when the usually dominant carp are less active you have a real chance.
“Do you fancy a day out at Sykehouse Fisheries, it’s fishing well we should be guaranteed a bite or two” said Bob.
“Sounds like we have a plan” I replied.
On the day we were met by owner Ray Lane for a walk round, and what he had to say was very promising. A choice of three lakes all with a track record of big perch, and lots of carp and silvers to keep us entertained … time to get fishing.
Ray wasn’t wrong. Within half an hour of starting I had a slow steady take on my ledgered double lobworm. Both Bob and I thought carp, but as it swirled just off the net a glimpse of stripes got us excited, a big perch, what a start! Soon after Bob was into a decent carp, closely followed by a second. The afternoon was slower, but we packed up happy and arranged to return the following week.
The second session was spectacular. Between us we had 9 perch, several two’s, two threes, and some nice carp. It was all we could have hoped for.
For us, Bob’s suggestion of a venue had paid off big time …. Thanks Bob!
PS … Trying out a new rod/reel combination.
At the Daiwa tradeshow last October one of the new rods I was shown was the Powermesh Twin tip. With a test curve of 1.25 lbs. It seemed ideal as a light ledger rod for my winter perch fishing so as soon as I got home, I ordered one. Teamed up with a GS3000LTD reel the combination certainly looked and felt right. So far, I’ve had perch to nearly four pounds, plus carp well into double figures, on the combo and can thoroughly recommend it. Great casting performance from a responsive blank that still has plenty of power to handle those bigger fish when they come along. The reel is super smooth with superb line lay. I can see this setup becoming one of my go to combinations and I’m still to try the lighter quivertip top which will give me even more options.
