Des Taylor’s January Angling Tips

How to Catch Big Perch in Winter: Float Tactics and Feeding Tips.

The fish are sitting in about 11 feet of water on a small reservoir and one of our favourite methods of catching these specimen perch is using a sliding float and feeding maggots and fishing either a maggot or a small dendrobaena worm on the hook.

Remember here to use a decent hook size at least a 14 or 12 not a small hook for if you are going to pull out of any fish in a session it will always be a big perch on a small hook.

We usually start the session off with a couple of balls of black fishmeal groundbait mixed very soft sometimes when fishing in the margins almost like a “slop” which forms a cloud which always seems attractive to the small fry fish which in turn attracts those bigger perch to the area.

We start quite late really at about 10am for the best time at this time of year seems to be later in the afternoon from around 2pm till just before dark so no need for an early start. Then after that initial baiting just keep firing in a few maggots little and often and every half hour another small ball of groundbait say the size of a golf ball that’s all. At this time of year, you may go a long time without a bite for the “feeding window” may only be one hour sometimes a lot less especially in these east winds of late, but even if you are not getting a bite you must carry on with the feeding of a small pinch of maggots and a few chopped worms for eventually they will turn on and sometimes you will be bite less for two hours then take 4 big perch in 30 minutes and then not another bite, that’s winter fishing for you.

I know you are going to ask what kind of swim are you looking for well to be honest if it’s a lake that is match fished the match anglers catches will tell you the best swims but on a water where you have to use your own skills then I would suggest near jetties, fishing platforms or branches in the water for big perch do like natural cover to hide in from other bigger predetors like Pike or making an attack on smaller fry, deeper water off sedge beds can also be a great spot to find and catch perch.

Find a good perch venue and you have found your “banker” like I have when the weather is really bad and few other fish are feeding you are always in with a chance of a decent perch or two.

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