Bait!

Nozebleed

Hi...im new to fishing...and im just wondering what bait can be used when fishing for perch,trout and the like? i''ve been fishing in the blessington/kilbride area of late but have had no luck using red/white chandlers and earth worms..just one small perch in 2 days..not sure if its the bait,bad technique(how deep the bait should sink! im not quite sure) or time of day(11am-5pm). should i fish in the shade? i just dont have the knowledge. Any advice would be much appreciated.

thanks

SeaFields

I'm not familiar with the area you are talking about. I would generally fish worms on the bottom with a running ledger set up. You will see how that works in any fishing intro book

If its a river try some of the slower, deeper stretches and try a light enough weight so that the current will move the worms along the bottom slowly. If its a lake the main problem can be a dirty bed so that the worms get lost in the mess at the bottom. Best bet in that case is a long trace with the running ledger and a small bit of aerofoam to float the worms off the bottom. You can use a syringe to do the same thing - putting a small air bubble in the worm but it takes great care so be careful.

A good point for beginners to fishing - you cannot catch if your bait is on the bank i.e. have it in the water all the time.

Maybe invest in a fly rod set up. You will have much better fun trying to tempt the fish - its a lot more visual and you don't run the risk of killing small trout with a hook back its throat. Don't be afraid of it looking complicated - fly casting is easy with a bit of practice and of course learning is half the fun!

Offy

I find worms are best, BIG worms with a big black head, forget the red worms with all the rings around them that you get in bait shops.
Get a bucket of water and add some fairy washing up liquid, pour it on some grass near a wall and wait. If its a sunny day and the wall is giving shade to the ground you should get some good worms. Use some size 8 hooks and pierce the worm at least three times before you cast. If the river is shallow there's no need for a float, if its deep you need one. Perch and Trout are not bottom feeders. They both feed of the surface so dont have the float more that two feet from the hook. Good luck, you'll need it, bit early in the year for either and its bloody cold sitting by the side of the river in March.

SeaFields

Offy wrote: »

Perch and Trout are not bottom feeders. They both feed of the surface so dont have the float more that two feet from the hook.

About 90% of a trouts feeding is done below the surface with a large proportion of this being made up of nymphs and crustaceans. Terrestrials are important too especially at this time of year when food supplies are scarce. In the summer, a trout that is frantically feeding on a hatch of flies on the surface isn't going to look twice at a worm floating by. This time of year the water is cold - the trout are going to be hard on the bottom moving minimally to conserve energy and thus bumping a worm along the bottom in slow stretches of water should prove best.

Nozebleed

Hmmm' March...it does feel like the wrong time of year to go fishing..i blame the 2 sunny days we got last week..pretty much forced me and my mate go to lidl and pick up a cheap beach caster and freshwater rod...were like 2 freezin dopes up in blessington the last few days. thanks for th info...much appreciated.

stevenmu

Maggots make a great bait for perch, certainly on canals/rivers. Throw a few small handfuls around the area you're fishing to draw them in and keep them there feeding. Not sure how that would work on the lakes at blessington though.

sickpuppy

I find i never catch perch early in the year while summer sport can be good.
I always river fish.
If you float fish say worms and theres current eg a slow moving river you can cover more ground more chance of bumbing into a fish.
A worn ledgered on the bottom is fine to just means your static sitting on your arse and in spring i prefer been on the move so u dont freeze
Live minnows are a great bait but illegal i think so dont do that.
Maggots very good bait an you may catch different fish not just perch.

coolwings

If you want to throw it out and sit back use worms. The scent will bring fish to your hook given time.

I don't consider such an approach to be all that interesting even though it suits many beginners.

Spinning gear:
A mobile apporach with more action involved would be to fish with artificials, and move along casting as you go. Both trout and perch eat the same food. Small insects and fish fry. Therefore a small mepps size 0 or size 1, or droppen spinner size 2g or 4g will do what you need on a spinning rod with approx 4 - 6lbs line.

Fly fishing gear:
Alternatively get a fly rod and learn to cast.
The flies imitate the primary insect food of both trout and perch. With fly fishing and a little knowledge it is quite rare to go without catching fish of these species. It just takes a little more practise to pick up all the skills.
Fly fishing is more fun in the long term, with each fish giving a more exciting fight.