Tips for catching Silver Perch

[big Neil]

I've just come home from a late arvo session at a spot on the Murrumbidgee that usually produces Perch, both Silver and Golden. Of the two, Silver Perch are more difficult to catch. They are absolute experts at taking your bait without getting hooked. Here's a few tips that should help to improve your catch rate...

Silver Perch have small mouths (compared to Golden Perch) and they are absolute masters at taking shrimps or worms without getting hooked. Their bite is very specific. They will cautiously swim up to your bait and take a single bite. Of course, by the time you realise, the bite has been and gone. They will continue to do this and when the bites stop, you can rest assured that you're "baited". So how do we catch them? This is what works for me.

Fish light. < 6lb mono, single paternoster rig with a light sinker and a size 1 hook. Cover the hook with the bait. Cast in and HOLD THE ROD. Twitch the rod tip to move the bait BUT NOT THE SINKER. The Silvers are less cautious when they see a bait twitching and looking like it's moving away from them. Usually they will attack the bait with a bit of gusto and this makes them easier to hook. Worms can be hooked through multiple times to improve the chance of a hook up. With shrimps I usually thread them around the hook (as you would with prawns, fishing for Flatties, Bream, etc).

Another method is to have a small split shot about 30cms above the #1 hook so the fish don't feel much resistance when they bite.

An average catch would be 20 -30cms, though I did catch one of 52 cms which put up a spirited fight on the lighter gear.

Hope some of you find this helpful. Cheers, bn

[Rebel]

Great tips. Thank you.

[Pickles]

Great info Neil, very helpful info. My Silvers in the dam, got a boost along with the all the fresh water and should be almost a kg by next summer - can’t wait to catch them, they are such great fighters on light line.