Live bait for Perch

[rudd]

Anyone have any advice on live bait rigs for Perch?
Live baits being small Perch/Rudd/Roach - not worms and maggots!
I am fishing a water that is deep in places where a ledger may be more suitable but also has drop offs, shallows etc. where a float will work.

Thanks i advance

 

[Silverfisher]

I occasionally stick a live bait on when fishing a simple running maggot feeder rig just to mix it up from fishing maggots. Can be doable with surprising small hook but if I were doing it by design I’d probably use a 10 or 12. Bleak and tiny chublets are my bait of choice.

 

[John Step]

I much prefer a small rudd on a paternoster or running bomb. They have the tendency to continually rise up high and keep active. I use a plastic maggot on a barbless hook to stop them coming off.

 

[Silverfisher]

Interestingly I’ve never noticed much difference in the size of perch I’ve caught on live baits to those on maggots or worms etc, I’ve had them to over 3lb on both but also as small as a few ounces. The main advantage of live baiting is that you avoid everything else, well pike aside.

 

[rudd]

Interestingly I’ve never noticed much difference in the size of perch I’ve caught on live baits to those on maggots or worms etc, I’ve had them to over 3lb on both but also as small as a few ounces. The main advantage of live baiting is that you avoid everything else, well pike aside.

Yes, Have a!so had big Perch on maggot, worm or lure but the moment your live bait starts making frantic indications on bobbins or float as it senses the approach of a predator really gets your senses going ?

 

[Silverfisher]

Indeed it does rudd! Watching the tip quiver a bit then slam over is definitely exciting!

 

[BoldBear]

I used to catch nice Perch at the mouth of a stream running under the towpath and into the canal not far from Watford using small gudgeon as bait with quite a lot of success.
I would catch a small gudgeon on Maggot using a size 10 hook then check the hook was standing proud or hook it again in the lips and swing it out just over the near shelf and I used to hook some decent sized Perch doing this.
You could often see the Perch shoal hovering in the water just over a rod length or two out and then sinking out of sight every time somebody went past.

Keith

 

[RedhillPhil]

I used to catch nice Perch at the mouth of a stream running under the towpath and into the canal not far from Watford using small gudgeon as bait with quite a lot of success.
I would catch a small gudgeon on Maggot using a size 10 hook then check the hook was standing proud or hook it again in the lips and swing it out just over the near shelf and I used to hook some decent sized Perch doing this.
You could often see the Perch shoal hovering in the water just over a rod length or two out and then sinking out of sight every time somebody went past.

Keith

You beat me to it with Gudgeon. Just as Pike lurve small Perch so big ole Perch lurve Gudgeon.

 

[Buck Taylor]

 

[DFL]

Interestingly I’ve never noticed much difference in the size of perch I’ve caught on live baits to those on maggots or worms etc, I’ve had them to over 3lb on both but also as small as a few ounces. The main advantage of live baiting is that you avoid everything else, well pike aside.

I’ve had a carp when livebaiting for perch.

 

[Ken the Pacman]

Caught lots of Perch on live minnow just hooked through the top lip or even banded behind the gills

 

[John Step]

I had two perching trips last week with very moderate success. I used my favourite a tail of rudd. Didn't work apart from some barely over a pound that time.
What I did get were several carp and a biggish eel.

 

[Silverfisher]

Never run into carp live baiting as I’ve only ever done it on rivers where you can almost always catch the perfect sized bait with ease. I don’t fish many stillwaters but on those I do you’d need quite some time to get a small enough bait for all but the biggest perch.

 

[Trogg]

Minnow, best Perch live bait there is, it also works for decent sized Chub, but watch out for the flaming water pigs (Carp) they love minnows just as much as Perch!

 

[Sportsman]

Another vote for minnow. Used to make minnow traps out of old wine bottles. You could catch enough baits in 30 minutes to last a week.

 

[Ken the Pacman]

Half the fun was catching the minnow baits

 

[rudd]

Seems minnows work well - unfortunately none in water I am fishing, plentry of small silvers and fry.

 

[rudd]

Never run into carp live baiting as I’ve only ever done it on rivers where you can almost always catch the perfect sized bait with ease. I don’t fish many stillwaters but on those I do you’d need quite some time to get a small enough bait for all but the biggest perch.

They can take baits bigger than you think.
Last week they were hitting hand sized skimmers.