ultra light biting perch

[wallyjr]

I went fishing today and the perch were exceptionally light biting. When this happens to you guys what do you do. I tried sizing down my jig size and was less aggressive with action. Any suggestions would help. I am headed back out tomorrow. Thank you very much.   wallyjr

[Swift]

Horizontal bait, super sharp hook, pinch the barb down and open the gap up. Seen with a camera down there nice Perch sucking in/spitting out baits and never knowing it watching the line or bobber. Not a sure cure but it has helped me a lot when there's no camera. Probably still not noticing most of them but end up with many lightly hooked in the top lip fish that were missed before

[slipperybob]

Lose the noodle rods and spring bobbers.  Sometimes you have to go aggressive jigging.  Get them to react instinctively on a bite.  That same aggressive jigging can also translate into aggressive hook setting anticipating those light nibbles.  Call it foul mouth hooking, but I learn that technique from Dave Genz.

[jimski2]

With braided line and snelled hooks, you can not feel a stationary perch inhale your minnow, you can not see the end of your rod move but you will feel the perch crush and scale the minnow with its volmer teeth in its throat. It feels like a violin string vibrating. They then spit it out and return to swallow it head first. If a lot of competetive perch are around, they will run before dropping the minnow. The best way to catch them is to feel the vibrations, slowly lift your pole and if you feel more weight, set the hook.

[doctariAFC]

First, if you have a Vexilar, this becomes easy.  Watch the attitude of the fish.  The light biters will show their finicky attitude on the Vex.  Change up your presentation from either aggressive or subtle, and also vary your depth at where you are presenting.  Sometimes a perch will bite really light at one depth, but you move a few feet up or down, and suddenly the light biters become racing rockets...

Using that vex also allows you to seee when that fish may be on your lure, and combining the vex view with some sensitive patience, you'll feel the bite even when its most delicate.

Oh, get rid of the bobbers/ floats.   

[Jigmup]

When in doubt....set the hook! I've had them just move the line or bend the rod tip maybe a 1/16th of an inch. Rip their lips on anything that doesn't seem normal.

[slipperybob]

Sometimes give'm more bait to bite on.  Hence the bite more than you can chew analogy comes into play.  It's more like bite more than you can spit out immediately. 

It's funny in a way and will probably get you more nibbles than before.  However the one that nibbles and nibbles and nibbles usally means it's stuck in the mouth. 

[Townie]

Lose the noodle rods and spring bobbers.  Sometimes you have to go aggressive jigging.  Get them to react instinctively on a bite.  That same aggressive jigging can also translate into aggressive hook setting anticipating those light nibbles.  Call it foul mouth hooking, but I learn that technique from Dave Genz.

I agree, unlike bluegills-- perch don't really require finesse. find the aggressive biters. A standard pounding action w/ Northland minnow fry & waxie (or plastics) produced well for me last season.

[wallyjr]

Thanks for all the information guys. Very interesting. I will try some more aggresive jigging and bigger baits. This site is great,i'm learning alot.   wallyjr

[jjc155]

maybe try a little tight lining. If when you think you have a nibble, lower your rod tip about 2 inchs, if your line goes slack in the hole, you have a fish with your bait in its mouth, set the hook and land the fish.

J-

[slipperybob]

It often depends on the weight of the jig.  Just becuase the fish pick up the lure, and the rod tip becomes weightless. Something suspending in water now sitting on their tongue with weight will make them spit it out.   

[deebsey]

When in doubt....set the hook! I've had them just move the line or bend the rod tip maybe a 1/16th of an inch. Rip their lips on anything that doesn't seem normal.

Sometimes give'm more bait to bite on.  Hence the bite more than you can chew analogy comes into play.  It's more like bite more than you can spit out immediately. 

It's funny in a way and will probably get you more nibbles than before.  However the one that nibbles and nibbles and nibbles usally means it's stuck in the mouth. 

I have done both and has payed off.

[Kim]

I rap my line around a stick length wise after it sits for a week or more you have a little bend in the line when unraped the wieght of the hook tends to pull the line tight and when a perch or white fish sucks it you can see the line get slack by watching the bend in it then set the hook.

[Kim]

Maybe your hook is too big. was jigging for pike once with about 1 1/2 inch long rubber tail jigs and getting lots of nibbles. After a while got fed up with the bs and put on smaller jig and started getting jumbo perch 12 to 14 inch.

[slipperybob]

I got to play with some ultra light biting perch.  The #14 hooks and smaller just wasn't hooking up with those perch, who knows, usually works...Then I switched up to some #10 hooks and when they bit, the hook set got some lips, only skin hooked but worked for me.  I guess the larger hooks this time, made them open their mouths just a little bigger.   

It pays to be un-orthodoxed, sometimes...

[ryno]

i like to put a bobber stopper(the string kind) on my line above the leader, set it so is about 5-6 inches belowe the surface when lure is on the bottom.  with this you can see any line movement much easier. i got started doing this when low lighting and just to hard to see the line and subtle bites.  plus it gives a visual of what the lure action is. of course this is most practical when tight lining and continious jigging.