Hi r/fishing.
I recently took up fishing and have caught a couple fish on my whip with maggots. Having just bought a reel to go with a gifted rod, I thought I’d treat myself to a couple lures so I could go try and get some Pike or Perch or some other kind of predator.
The thing is, now they are here they look pretty big and I have doubts about if the heaviest setup I can put together (9lb bs main line with a 7lb bs hook length) would be strong enough for the kind of fish that would take a lure this size?
Also unsure they’d like these lures anyways?
Hopefully someone has some idea on here!
Posted by trainer_t4rt4n
2 Comments
Depending on the waters you’re fishing – location?
That will likely be a bit large for most perch, but a little uninteresting for most pike. That’s a decent rig for bass, and those curly tailed grubs are a great all-rounder, but when it comes to perch in lakes, I tend to have most success with a jig-head and a minnow or a nightcrawler harness.
If you’re looking to run mostly artificial lures, the “trout magnet” sized split tail, or the crappie sized split tail or curly tail are pretty successful – so you’re on the right path for sure.
For pike, honestly, the water you’re fishing makes a big difference in what you’re throwing out there. I tend to use soft swimbaits – a lot of “bass size” lures and hardbaits in baitfish patterns – perch patterns, chubs, shiners, trout.
Shallower water sections perch like a little movement, so small inline spinnerbaits can work well. But when it comes to perch, live crawlers or minnows/shiners on a jig or split perch rig are hard to beat.
Where there are perch there tend to be pike that eat perch. Soft tail jigs like that tend to work on pike and walleye, plus side of them is that they are cheap and not so hurtful to loose. Perch have small mouths and like small food like 00 and 0 spinners or small spoons etc. I like to use jigs when I am unsure of the bottom and what I am dealing with, but if I am targeting pike then for shore fishing spoons can be great as you can get some serious casting distance out of a #1 len thompson 5 of diamonds which can be productive for pike. Some people swear you need a steel leader for pike as they are toothy things but I switched to Berkley spider wire braided line and have no such issues and my casting distance is great, my 8 pound test can tow the boat around the lake if I get snagged. I don’t use the leader as perch and walleye have good eyes and can see that stuff, I may or may not use a swivel clasp as half the time I just tie it on with an improved cinch knot which is a habit I picked up from fly fishing. I was pulling in 24″ pike with no issues, well one did slice the line in the net on the boat, but that was one out 20 fish in two days jigging rocks, holes, and casting into weeds and rocks (not recommended for a beginner, it takes finesse of reeling to not get snagged there).
Beyond that learn about the fish predatory habits and the waterway. Perch like vegetation to school around, when you get one perch get the line back in as there are more perch. Pike are ambush predators that will still on the bottom or in the weeds and wait for something to come by. They are slimy ugly things that will eat everything, but can also be lazy. I was dock fishing this summer and saw a young pike laying on the bottom I brough a spoon right by it and nothing. Switched to a really old Lazy Ike crank bait that looks like a small perch and brought it damn near past the nose. Some interest but then relaxed, I paused my reeling for a second and then twitched it and bam, even at 2 or 3 pounds watching the strike was great fun. But pike are solitary predators as they cannibalize. Walleye can school or may not school, they are harder to figure but like rocky outcrops and holes.
Hope this helps