Light lure fishing is perfect at this time of year when you might not want to spend a whole day on the bank and just want to get out for a couple of hours for your fishing fix.
FIND THE BEST VENUES TO CATCH A MONSTER PERCH NEAR YOU IN THIS WHERE TO FISH GUIDE.
Jig fishing enables you to move the bait as fast or slow as you want and imitate a natural prey item. It also enables you to quickly search areas of whichever lake, river or canal you are fishing to try and ascertain which areas hold perch. There are hundreds of different lures suitable for jig fishing, but one family that is particularly effective for big perch are creature baits.
These are designed to resemble crayfish and, although they score especially well on venues which have lots of crayfish, they will work anywhere. All the legs and appendages create plenty of movement and vibration in the water, something that any predatory species finds irresistible.
In terms of what colour lure to use, there are no hard and fast rules and it’s often a case of swapping colours, lure size and retrieve rate during the session to see what works best. As a starting point, though, white lures show up well in most water conditions and clarities. Black and orange offerings also have good track records.
GET THE BEST LUGGAGE FOR LURE FISHING AND STAY ORGANISED ON THE BANK WITH THIS IN-DEPTH BUYER'S GUIDE.
HOW IT WORKS...
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Cast out and let the lure drop to the bottom.
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Then do a quick double tap flick on the rod tip to make the lure imitate an escaping crayfish.
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Pause and wind up any slack line, you might feel perch plucking at the lure at this stage.
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Repeat this process until the lure is retrieved, strike at any firm pulls.
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If the lure locks up solid you are likely in a snag.
The best ways to attach a creature bait
Weedless Texas style - best in weedy swims to prevent snagging
Stand-up jighead - this imitates a crayfish rearing up on the deck.
Standard ball jighead - great for a standard retrieve.
TOP TIPS FOR CREATURE BAIT FISHING
Jighead
Casting distance and water depth will determine the weight of jig head required. For most scenarios something in the 3g -7g range will work perfectly. As a good rule of thumb, look to add a gram for every ft of water.
Lines
When light lure fishing for perch, use a braid mainline combined with a fluorocarbon leader. If there are lots of pike/zander present, switch to a low diameter but strong wire trace to prevent bite offs. Pike can be landed on fluorocarbon but it's not worth the risk.
Lures
Creature baits come in a range of colours and sizes. Carry a selection and experiment to see which works best on the day. Usually, brighter colours will work in dirty water, where more natural shades of silver and black tend to be best in clear water, but there really are no rules.
Add some flavour
Crayfish lures work well straight out of the packet, but you can increase their effectiveness even further with a smear of flavouring. Use a specialist gel that is designed to stick to rubber lures.
Keep on the move
Lure fishing is a very active method, you need good footwear as you will be on the move all day if you're doing it right. It allows you to search every feature or holding area to really find those fish. If it isn't happening in one spot, it's time to move on!
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