Commercial Fisheries - Perch

Perch on my local Commercial

My aim for the last couple of seasons has been to catch a 3lb Perch, with commercials becoming the source of a large percentage of big Perch I thought it only appropriate to head to my local commercial. I have caught Perch to 2lb 5oz so far from this lake and I have witnessed Perch to 2lb 15oz so I'm sure there is a 3lber in there somewhere. When targeting Perch I have always fished the margins, specifically amongst the reeds as that's where I believed they always were, hiding and waiting for their pray to come to them.

This season I have changed my approach, as it has been cold consistently for the last month or so I have come to the conclusion that the Perch are in the warmer water, in the deeper parts amongst the middle of the lake. The bait of choice for this lake has to be King Prawn,cooked and broken into half a piece.

I cast one bait out into the middle of the lake on a feeder rod using a bobbin as an indicator and also set up a float rod  and flicked that amongst the reeds in the margin. The bait cast in the middle of the lake was supplemented by spraying maggots to pull in smaller fish and inevitably a hungry Perch or two. An hour soon past with just a Perch of about 6oz to show for my troubles.

A bitter wind picked up and I started doubting my chances of catching, my mind began telling me to leave when my feeder rod bobbin slammed up against the rod. I grabbed the rod and struck upwards. The rod whipped around and arched over. I could feel the head shaking through the rod. A Perch for sure but how big? I unhooked it and placed it in a sack in hope and excited anticipation that the Perch were perhaps on the feed? Another hour went by and just like clockwork the bobbin shot up again and WHACK. Another Perch. This one looked slightly bigger, perhaps 2lbs?

 

A lovely brace

Both Perch were in beautiful condition and were beginning to fill with spawn. One weighed 1lb 14oz and the bigger 2lb 1oz. Not quite the 3lbers that I was after but hopefully signs of fish to come. Keep an eye on the blog in the coming weeks as I target the lake more exclusively for a 3lber.