During his recent participation in the Predator Fishing World Championships in the Czech Republic, Max Wilson spent some time targeting perch and learned a few different tricks for dealing with a finesse, finicky bite.
European perch are a little different from American perch. They’re bigger and require a bit more finesse to trigger a bite. Wilson learned a lot using tail spinner baits and Carolina rigs during the tournament and plans to use these techniques back home on tough bite days when perch fishing. The Jackall Tail Spinner 3/8 oz bait was his favorite for targeting perch on the Slapy Reservoir. This bait is a combination of a straight retrieval, vibration bait and a blade bait. You can either jig it like a blade bait or you can use your forward facing sonar and straight retrieve it while paying attention to how the fish react. This bait is a great option to get the school fired up and get them to start to eat.
For an even more finicky bite, switch to a Carolina rig. Commonly used with bass anglers, this presentation is very simple and involves a bullet weight, sinker, swivel, and a small hook with, in this case, a creature bait. Let this heavier setup hit the bottom to stir up the muck and perch will see the commotion and come in thinking there are bugs or other bait stirring up the bottom. If you get can get just one perch to go, all of a sudden the whole school will follow and start to eat. The next time you’re targeting perch and find that they just aren’t biting, try shifting to either a Carolina rig or a vibration style lure to trigger more bites and catch a lot more fish.
