With a quiet splash, bait balls fall near the float and cause small waves on the calm water surface of a small quarry lake. This is not ordinary baiting, because what is being caught here is not roach, but perch. I saw purposeful luring of perches using bottom bait for the first time in England, where I attended a competition several years ago. But I didn’t dare try this method until a fishing salesman I knew thrust under my nose a special perch bait that he had just purchased for his trade. The action of the bait was so convincing that I increasingly left the spinning rod at home when I went hunting for perches. Instead, I picked it up float rod, natural bait and, of course, perch bait. And today it should lure striped robbers to the chosen fishing spot. Our quarry lake is home to a variety of bass, which most anglers catch using twisters and spinning spoons. So I, together with my friend Thomas Engert, decided to try drifting a little differently in order to catch trophy fish. Since Thomas is an experienced floater, I trust him when preparing the bait and moistening the mixture.

Fish and shrimp meal

The first thing I want to note before starting making bait I need to wash my hands, for this I take liquid soap. Thomas makes no secret of the composition of the bait. He tells me that it, first of all, consists of fish and shrimp meal, which, with the help of a special binder, is processed into bait that is well preserved in water. The easiest way is to use a ready-made mixture. If you are fishing on a river, then the bait should be enriched with “weighting agents” such as corn flour or clay to protect it from the current. But the ready-made mixture alone will not lure perches onto the hook. It rather serves as a carrier of odorous substances. Only the addition of live food makes it attractive. Finely chopped red or dung worms and crushed casters (pupated maggot larvae) give perch bait special effectiveness. The worms should be cut and the casters should be crushed so that their aroma quickly spreads in the water and so that the perches do not get satiated immediately. In addition, crushed casters are not easily carried away by the current. Perch bait should have a dense consistency so that the balls disintegrate slowly when immersed in a pond. If feeding is carried out on a river, the balls should disintegrate only at the bottom.

Feed sparingly

It is important not to overfeed the perches or drive them away from the fishing spot with additional feeding. Therefore, at the beginning of fishing, we throw in most of the food so that a significant food carpet forms on the bottom as soon as possible, and an attractive cloud of bait appears at half-water. You can refuse additional feeding in the future, even if the perches are already in place. Only if the intensity of the bite decreases, you should carefully throw loose bait or small balls into the water using a slingshot. If you catch perch in the current with a pole tackle, you can quietly and very accurately feed with the Pole Cup without disturbing the perch. Pole Sir is a cup for feeding, which is simply attached to the tip of a plug rod or on a specially designed one. this place in the upper section of the rod. Live food or small balls of bait are placed in a glass and tipped over the fishing point. This creates an accurate stern trail in which it will later drift. bait.

Rivalry is the law

When feeding perches, in most cases maggots or worms are used as bait. I put a red worm on the hook and a finger-length dead fish on the hook of the second rod. I often watched how small perches in the food cloud scoured in all directions, grabbing small particles of food, while - large perches hardly moved. I have repeatedly observed that large perches were more interested in their smaller relatives than in maggots or worms. Therefore, if I purposefully catch large perches, I prefer small perches as bait, which I serve directly in the food cloud. When I fish with maggots, after the first biting phase is over, I treat them with a special attractant to once again stimulate the fish’s appetite. As an attractant I use the aromas of shellfish, crayfish or fish. I don’t use an attractant right away at the beginning of fishing, because I want to have a trump card in stock with which I can persuade the perches to bite when there’s no bite. The outstanding bait is, naturally, the worm. While many anglers rely on crawlers, I prefer red or dung worms, which have a strong odor of their own. I present the bait on a hook on a thin float rig, which is weighted so that the perch feels minimal resistance when biting. The worm lies almost at the bottom, where most of the particles are located. bait. On the contrary, I offer dead fish on a float rig in half water - the carrying capacity of the float is quite enough for this.

First the little ones, then...

But let's go back to our quarry lake. After the bait balls hit the water, about an hour passes. Finally the float starts to move. After a short retrieval, the first perch lies on Thomas's hand. It is followed by other small perches, then palm-length roaches. However, we came here to catch large perch. As soon as this thought flashed through my head, the float of the rig with a dead fish on the hook dived into the water. I waited three seconds and hooked. After fishing with fountains of spray, a magnificent perch lies in the landing net. Now it became clear to me why the fish suddenly stopped biting at the worms - large perches had conquered the feeding area. In a matter of minutes, Thomas and I were able to catch several kilogram perch. It should also be mentioned that the fishermen who tried to fish on this day artificial bait, went home with nothing. For this reason, we will continue to use perch bait in reservoirs with strong fishing pressure.

Regarding the issue of feeding perch, the fishing fraternity is divided into two diametrically opposed camps.

The first believe that feeding perch is an absolutely useless activity that will not bring the effect observed when feeding white fish.

The latter believe that complementary feeding of perch is possible in various situations, and sometimes even necessary. Naturally, when catching a striped robber with a spinning rod, there can be no talk of feeding it.

Fishing with float gear or donka is another matter. Also, when ice fishing, properly prepared bait for perch in winter can sometimes work wonders, and the angler who uses it has a much better catch in terms of quantity and quality.

Winter perch fishing

In some regions, seasoned perch fishermen use a method of attracting striped fish called an “aquarium”, which any fisherman can easily do with his own hands. Its essence boils down to the fact that several small fish are placed in a closed glass jar with water. It is lowered to the bottom, and fishing takes place in the next hole, which is drilled as close as possible to the hole with the can. The small fish usually used are roach, bleak or crucian carp. This method of feeding perch keeps the predator well in the fishing zone, and sometimes even activates it.

In winter, a good solution for catching perch would be to use this combined method:

1. At the beginning, in a fresh hole, the angler catches a spoon. This allows you to collect the maximum number of perches in the zone and catch large humpbacks or the most active fish.
2. Then a jig is used (you can also use a nozzle).
3. In parallel with jig fishing, you should periodically feed the striped fish with food bloodworms.

As you can see, winter bait for perch can be very diverse, and it gives results if used correctly and on time.

Perch fishing in summer

In the warm season, when perch fishing is carried out with rods or donks, the use of complementary foods will be justified in many cases. Here, as in winter, it is advisable to use direct-acting bait made from animal components.

If in the cold season the main ingredient of bait for perches is bloodworms, then in summer it is an earthworm, dung or earthworm. It is usually chopped into small pieces, mixed with soil and molded into fist-sized balls. Such balls of bait are thrown to the fishing point. It is advisable that the balls do not break on the water, since the food will not be able to sink to the bottom and will be eaten by small fish - bleak, perch, roach and rudd.

Bait for perch in summer can be made from other components:

• All kinds of larvae of semi-aquatic insects.
• Various river shells (dreissena, bivalve, toothless and others) peeled from the shell.
• Pieces of crayfish meat.
• Pieces of fish or slightly rotten meat.
• Fresh coagulated blood.

There are also many options for feeding the striped robber in the summer. All of them are effective and will enable the angler to improve his perch fishing performance.

In addition to home-made perch bait, you can purchase a wide variety of attractants and factory-made mixtures in stores. Their use has its place, and such methods of feeding a predator should not be ignored. This is especially true during spontaneous fishing trips or when there is not enough time to prepare components for homemade complementary foods.

Spinners often lubricate silicone baits with attractants. This makes it possible to increase the number of bites and stimulate passive or well-fed fish. And if spinning anglers do not disdain to use such methods of activating perch, then floaters and bottom fishers should definitely use bait when catching perch.

This fish (perch family) is very common throughout Russia. And it is a desirable trophy for those who like to catch perch in the summer.

Catching perch in the summer in any way is an extremely exciting activity.

Description of the species

Freshwater perch is an unusually beautiful fish with a variety of colors. The back is dark in color on the sides, slightly lighter and the belly is even lighter. There are 5-7 vertical stripes running along the body, the color of which varies from light gray to black. The lower pectoral and anal fins are bright red.

The scales are very dense and small. The lateral line consists of 62-68 scales. The body shape is flattened laterally, the height is 1/3 of the body, which gives the individual a massive appearance. In older individuals, a hump forms.

There are two varieties of fish of this breed:

• deep;
• herbal.

Habitats

The deep variety of perch, in accordance with the name, spends most of its life in the lowlands of the bottom. The growth rate is quite fast and largely depends on the food supply in a given reservoir. This perch lives in free areas of the reservoir, reaching a weight of up to 100 grams by the age of 3 years. Further annual growth can reach 50-80 grams, which also depends on the abundance or lack of food.

The most common specimens of this medium-sized species are 250-300 gram specimens, but you can often find perch weighing up to 3 kilograms, and the record catch was 4.8 kilograms. The life cycle of fish of this species is up to 18 years, but it has happened that a 24-year-old handsome fish has been caught.

The main food item is small fish of carp species, but perch does not disdain representatives of its own species. This is one of the reasons for the phenomenon that individuals of the same size gather in a flock for hunting. Capable of active collective action, when a school of perch surrounds a school of small fish and drives it to the surface, arranging a feast for itself. The phenomenon is known as the “perch boiler”. In spring, it prefers to consume worms and larvae from meltwater streams. Both satisfying and not troublesome.

Grass perch grows slowly and reaches a weight of 75-80 grams. At the same time, by the third year of life, it becomes sexually mature and reproduces successfully. Its habitat in the reservoir is grassy areas, the main food item is small invertebrates. When hunting, it often goes to shallow water areas to feed.

Features of summer perch fishing

At this time of year, this predatory species is most active and you need to look for it in habitats of small fish. It usually collects in shallow water areas, but other characteristic signs of the presence of perch cannot be neglected. The presence of seagulls in a certain area, attracted by the presence of small fish close to the surface, indicates the possibility of its appearance under the influence of a predator. Therefore, this area needs to be fished.

Large individuals of perch love places near hydraulic structures or bridge supports, stone embankments at the bottom, in snags. The young often live in thickets of aquatic plants in shallow bays.

During the hottest part of the day, perch seeks protection from the sun in the thickets, ambushing prey.

Being a daytime predator, perch is most active in the morning.

Spinning fishing

Taking into account the behavioral characteristics of perch and its food preferences, the selection of fishing gear must be carried out with particular care. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the own characteristics of the reservoir.

At the same time, we can say with confidence that a low-rigid light-class spinning rod is suitable for such fishing. A blank with a test load of 12-15 grams will be optimal with a spinner or crank wobbler. And for twitching wobblers, a medium-fast rod action is suitable. An ultralight spinning rod is suitable for migro-jigging, and you can also use micro-oscillators and micro-spinners with it.

If you have a choice of form, it is better to prefer a length of 1.8-1.4 meters, depending on the area and fishing characteristics. Hunting from a boat close to the shore and fishing the edge from the water require different approaches. When choosing a reel, they give preference to models 1000 and 2000, preferably Shimano. Recommended wiring is jerky.

The debate about the main fishing line does not subside and will never subside: which is better - braided cord or fishing line. The cord responds better to bites, and when used, the likelihood of losing the bait on the hook is reduced. On the other hand, the fishing line, due to its elasticity, softens the jerks of the predator, increasing the fishing efficiency. The choice depends on the angler, his habits, experience and skills.

The attitude towards leashes is also ambiguous, but it is still recommended to use 0.16-0.5 mm fluorocarbon; for all its aggressiveness, the perch is sometimes very careful.

Fishing with a float rod

For this method of fishing, you can use two types of fishing rods:

Baits and groundbait

What to use to catch perch? One of the favorite delicacies and desired prey of perch is the earthworm. It should be placed partly on the hook with a stocking, then pierced and attached with an accordion. There is no need to hide the end of the hook.

A catchable bait is live bait. Fish up to 3-4 cm long are suitable for this purpose. Important! For successful fishing, you need to use live bait from the same reservoir where you will catch the perch. The following types of fish are suitable for this bait:

The bait is attached to the tee through the back in the area of ​​the dorsal float. There is no need to mask the tee hooks in any way - the perch does not react to them. But the likelihood of a trophy being caught when biting increases greatly.

It must be remembered that this bait must be alive and active at all times while fishing.

What to use to catch perch is a matter of bait availability. The worm is easy to find or buy in a specialized store. And stocking up on live bait is another fishing trip.

Bait for perch in summer is used in the same way as for any other fishing, especially when fishing with a float rod. Only it acts indirectly, actively collecting small fish around itself. This is what the perch reacts to, starting the hunt.

A good bait is made from a dried piece of bread. It needs to be thrown into the fishing spot. So that it does not swim away under the influence of wind or current, taking the fry with it. Need to load it in an accessible way. Casting the tackle should be done in close proximity to the bait. Before placing the bait, you need to make sure that the depth in this place is no more than 2-2.5 meters, and load the bait accordingly.

If during fishing you notice signs of a hunting perch, you need to throw the tackle to this place.

Perch calendar

June is a quiet time for catching any fish. At this time, the maximum filling of reservoirs with natural biomass occurs and fish activity decreases.

Perch fishing in July is characterized by maximum efficiency, but the main signs of the summer period still remain - maximum activity occurs in the morning.

But perch fishing in August gradually begins to take on a different character. Feeling the approach of cold weather, perch in August begins to gather in schools, the number of which ranges from 10 to 100 individuals of the same size and peck more actively, preparing for wintering. At this time, they are located in thickets of vegetation, continuing active hunting throughout the day. Flocks may migrate over quite significant distances in search of food.

The peculiarity of the movement is the constancy of the route; when returning, they pass through the same places and the return of the bite is very likely.

Fishing for perch in August can be very effective if you know the habits of this fish. The perch bites quite actively and effectively at this time.

You can catch perch quite effectively in August using spinning rods and even bottom fishing rods.

Fishing is not an activity or a vacation - it is a state of mind. It must be remembered that the time spent fishing does not count towards your life. Good luck to you!

What to do if the fish don’t bite in the summer?

How many times did I have to return home without a catch, and if I did catch something, it was only enough for the cat. Bad place, bad weather, should have come yesterday...

Perch is a cautious fish and is quite difficult to catch. However, with the right approach, you can catch perch using a simple float rod, and even in large quantities. You just need to know some fishing features, for example, what you can feed this fish with.

Types of bait

Complementary feeding for perch can be completely different, but always with the addition of animal components.

Among the best options:

• Bloodworms of any size.
• Chopped worms, mussels, amphipods, parts of crabs, oysters, and jigs go well.
• It is also worth remembering that perches are very curious. Therefore, in summer, to attract attention, you can use small pebbles and sand, and in winter, spinners.
• Perches have a good sense of smell, so sometimes they use coagulated blood or dried blood, which is either simply thrown into the water or added to bait during cooking for the smell.
• The use of “secondary” feeding, i.e. anglers feed small fish that perch prey on. And to attract fish, it’s enough to use crackers, bran, etc.
• There is also the “TV” or “aquarium” method. It consists of throwing a jar of fry into a pond. Such a structure will attract the attention of the perch and keep it in place for a long time, and can be used both in summer and winter.
• As an option - goose fat, camphor oil. They can also serve as complementary food.

Choosing purchased bait

The range of complementary foods in stores is quite large, the manufacturers are different, the compositions are different. Therefore, when choosing a bait mixture, you should definitely study the composition:

1. Pay attention to the smell. For example, in winter, odors spread very poorly, and it turns out that a very strong, concentrated smell hovers near the bait - this scares off the fish. Therefore, if the packaging indicates that the diameter of the odor spread is 1 km, then, in the winter season, it is worth postponing the mixture until the summer. In general, you need to be very careful with flavorings. The same odors have different effects on fish different time of the year. It is worth knowing that in winter, fish do not react to sweet odors, therefore, if the winter complementary foods indicate vanilla, chocolate or other flavors, then you should refuse it.
2. And, of course, you definitely need to look at the nutritional value. But do not forget that perch is a predator, and complementary food should not be made only of plant matter. This means that it must contain meat, no matter what kind. Depending on what time of year you are going fishing, the addition of the mixture depends. For example, in the spring the fish is preparing for spawning, so it is necessary to add treats for perch (worms, bloodworms, etc.) to the mixture. In winter, the fish are hungrier, and you can also supplement the mixture with meat. In summer you can do without any additives.
3. The foundation plays an important role. Depending on the conditions of the place and the weather, complementary food should either disintegrate at the very bottom, or, on the contrary, scatter throughout the entire thickness of the water. Therefore, it is necessary to look at what is present in the composition. You need to know that the basis for almost all baits are breadcrumbs, which means that such a mixture will not be the cheapest. Also, the basis of good baits can include ground biscuit, fish meal, mixed feed or even dried bloodworms.
4. And be sure to pay attention to the date of manufacture. For example, if the mixture includes bran, then it is worth considering the fact that they do not last long, so the wound time should be minimal. Although, it is worth noting that not all companies indicate shelf life, and yet complementary foods show good results.

Making bait for perch with your own hands

Of course, you can find any mixtures for fishing in stores, but homemade complementary foods will be no less effective.

Depending on the time of year, bait for perch is prepared differently. For example, in the summer, when preparing a mixture near a river, it is recommended to use earth, clay or sand, as they create a cloud of turbidity. It is also important to take water from the reservoir where fishing will take place. In summer you should also not refuse bloodworms, amphipods, worms, fry, and sometimes they are even caught using leeches. And since perch is a curious fish, you can throw sand or small pebbles into the water, to which it will definitely turn its attention.

So, let's look at a few summer complementary feeding recipes:

1. You need to take a bloodworm sand, earth, clay or silt. The available components must be taken in a 1:1 ratio and rolled into tight balls.
2. Take a glass of earthworms and chop them into small pieces. Then they need to be soaked in camphor oil or goose fat. After this, finely chopped crayfish is added there, about half a glass. At the next stage, we add eggshells, which we previously finely detailed, and tinsel. Mix everything thoroughly. In order for the mass to be plastic, it is necessary to add blood.
3. We will need 1 part of finely chopped worms, soaked in 3 drops of lavender, camphor oil and honey, 1 part of blood and small scales, add 3 parts of bloodworms and crayfish, 5 parts of clay, mix everything and make balls.

In the autumn, when the water is still cloudy and the sun warms it up less, you can use the same baits as in the summer, only in a simplified version (you don’t have to add tinsel, just take silt and mix it with any meat).

As for winter, it is very good to use live bloodworms; with their movements they create vibrations in the water and attract a predator. You should also not give up worms, crayfish and other meat. Let's consider several options for winter bait.

1. We harvest worms in the fall so that they can survive until winter. For bait, they will need to be crushed and mixed with breadcrumbs, ratio 1:1. We also make balls and use them.
2. We take black bread, its crumb, add fresh blood, which can be purchased at markets, or you can take “Albumin”, and roll sausages, which will then need to be frozen. When fishing, you need to break off small pieces and throw them into the holes.
3. If there is a sufficiently large current. Then you need to use a feeder. This method is also suitable for summer fishing. The simplest filler for a feeder is bloodworms. We fill the feeder with bloodworms, lower it into the water at the bottom and pour it out.
4. Finely chop the insides of the animal (heart, kidneys, etc.). Add albumin or blood, bloodworms, flour, cereal (for viscosity) and roll into balls. We freeze it in the refrigerator, and three days before fishing, we lower it into the holes.

In addition to seasonal baits, there are also universal ones. They are suitable for any time of year. Let's consider several cooking options:

1. You need to take clay or crackers, or fishmeal, rolled oats, and live bloodworms, tinsel, blood.
2. We take crayfish, dry clay, blood, jigs, eggshells, tinsel and worms.
3. The recipe can also be the aquarium method, when fry are placed in a jar and the entire structure is immersed in water.
4. Secondary feeding is also a very effective method. To feed the fry, you don’t have to spend money on “meat”; just take cereal or bread. A school of fry will definitely attract the attention of a perch.

Feeding technique

A successful catch of perch does not rely on bait alone. Feeding technique plays a very important role. When hunting for perch, it is worth taking into account all the features of the conditions. It happens that perches are not attracted to bloodworms, and then it is worth trying to catch with fry. It is necessary to take into account depth, current, time of day and season. Feeding tactics also vary, it all depends on how the fish bites.

Professionals advise that if possible, you should start feeding the fish a few days before fishing in large portions.

And on the day of fishing itself, change tactics and feed in smaller portions and a less nutritious mixture.

In the summer, bait can be rolled into clay balls; they have an additional effect, creating a cloud of turbidity when they touch the bottom. You should throw the balls near the floats. Under any conditions, the secondary feeding method works well, or you can simply throw clotted blood into the water.

In winter, it is good to use stationary feeders for complementary feeding.(used in large currents) or drop-down feeders (used in standing water). If the depth is large or there is a strong current, then it is best to use a feeder; it should be opened almost above the bottom. The fish group in one place, and their sense of competition awakens, they begin to react aggressively to the bait. In this case, you should fish exactly above the bait site.

If the depth is shallow or there is no current, then you can feed the fish directly “by hand,” that is, throw the bait directly into the hole, or open the feeder immediately under the ice. Accordingly, it is worth fishing not only near the day itself, but throughout the entire thickness of the water. At the same time, feeding complementary foods should be done at intervals of 15-20 minutes.

At any time of the year it is worth considering the current. It must be remembered that with a strong current, complementary foods will be consumed much more than in stagnant water, so it is worth taking a sufficient amount of complementary foods with you.

1. Regardless of the time of year, for a successful bite, it is worth feeding the fish;
2. You should go fishing early in the morning and in the evening;
3. Any mixture that produces a lot of turbidity can be suitable for complementary feeding, since the fish are curious;
4. The bait should have a fairly dense consistency;
5. Only animal food can be used as bait for a predator;
6. If the food is from bloodworms, then it must be alive, because it is with its movements in the water that it will attract the attention of the perch;
7. It is better to feed the fish a few days before fishing so that it does not feel threatened.

Perch in winter period hungry, thanks to which it behaves actively and willingly pecks even without bait. A week after the freeze-up, he had already worked up quite an appetite.

- This predatory fish and its bait must contain elements of animal origin, such as feed or small bloodworms. A chopped worm is also suitable for bait, but in winter it is difficult to get.

You can use a clever trick and place live or in a half-liter jar or transparent plastic bottle. After this, such an “aquarium” should be lowered into the hole, which will attract the predator and keep it near the hole for a long time.

If you feed the fish in advance, for example, 2 days in advance, then the outcome of the fishing will always be effective. will burrow into the silt and will attract predators and other fish for a long time.

Ways to activate the bite

Today, many ways have been developed to increase the intense bite. The most common of them are:

1. Bite activators. They are developed on the basis of pheromones and can be used as additives to basic baits and can effectively lure fish. Unfortunately, such activators may be banned in the near future.
2. Pheromone lures.
3. Increasing the selectivity of gear.

Recipes for catchable baits for catching perch in winter

Many fishermen do not spend time preparing baits, but buy ready-made ones in fishing stores, where there is a very wide selection. Here you can find bait for perch Senses 3000 Perch, which is intended for winter fishing.

And yet, some fishermen prepare their own bait, just for fun, and this is much more economical, because ready-made bait costs a lot of money. Fishermen are reluctant to share their recipes, but they do share them anyway, and here are some of them:

1. Recipe No. 1. To do this, you need to stock up in the fall. To do this, you will need a vessel, like a bucket of earth, and a cool place. A cellar may be ideal for this. To make the worms feel comfortable, the soil should be watered periodically. To prepare the bait, you need to chop the earthworms with a knife and mix them with breadcrumbs in a 50/50 ratio.
2. Recipe No. 2. This bait uses bloodworms, which are also mixed with breadcrumbs. Subsequently, when fishing, balls are made from this mixture and thrown into the hole.
3. Recipe No. 3. This recipe requires fresh pork blood and brown bread crumbs. They are mixed until dough-like. You can make sausages from this mixture and wrap them in cellophane. They may freeze in the cold, but this is not a problem. You can simply break off pieces from the sausages and throw them into the hole from time to time.

And yet, it should be noted that perch prefers live bait that contains bloodworms.

Bait with a compact slide

When you come fishing and there is no bite, you have to use other bait methods. In such cases, special feeders are used that deliver bait to the bottom and open there. As a result of this, a neat bait slide is formed at the bottom, which collects fish near it. In this case, you can intensify the bite significantly.

At the same time, it should be remembered that this is also a tasty morsel for the ruff and it can react first and quickly cope with this pile of bait. To prevent this from happening, the slide can be sprinkled with sand.

The ideal option is when such a slide appears in close proximity to a school of perch. Then large perches will be the first to approach the delicacy and will not give the ruffs the opportunity to interfere with their meal. In this case, fishing can be very productive. Near the slide you can also catch large perches that do not rush to the slow-feeding bloodworm.

In winter, perch lacks food, so it can actively peck even without bait. And yet there are periods when he refuses to be caught, then competent recipes come to the rescue that can revive fishing.

How to feed a hole (Video)