RIG SCHOOL
Give this presentation a try when the perch are less active and when fishing in par ticularly weedy or snaggy areas
ONE OF THE great things about lure fishing for perch is that there are just so many different types of lures and rigs that can be employed to catch these highly obliging fish.
One of the best tactics when the water temperature is really low is the Carolina rig. As the name suggests, this was originally developed in the USA for catching bass in snaggy and weedy areas, where conventional rigs would continually snag up. By using an offset hook that can be fished ‘weedless’ – so that it does not pick up detritus – the lure can be worked slowly along the bottom. This is perfect for cold weather when the perch don’t want to chase a lure high up in the water.
The other advantage of the Carolina rig is that the weight and the lure are separated by around 40cm. This means that the lure can fall slowly under its own weight, giving a different presentation to other styles.
Bites often come as the retrieve is paused and the lure slowly sinks towards the bottom. Fishing slowly, with plenty of short pauses, is the best way to use this set-up.
One problem with a conventional Carolina rig is that the bullet weight can eventually damage the fine mainline braid. In this version, not only can the weight be changed quickly, but because it is running on a short piece of robust nylon line, damage is minimised, making it much better when big, ha
