Perch around Kilkenny?

GFish

I'm usually a trout-on-fly angler but looking for a trip down memory lane.

When I was a kid in Sligo/Mayo/Leitrim perch were everywhere but I haven't seen or caught one in 20 years down here in KK.

Are there any perch to be had anywhere around KK/Carlow or did Olly Cromwell banish them from the Pale as well?

whelzer

The Barrow has plenty of perch. Use your fly rod. This time of year a white/silver lure, tungsten bead/dumbbell eyes, use some sort of wire trace as you could easy pick up a pike...

ardinn

Plenty of spots close to you for perch - The problem is finding them, but once you do and are into a shoal you will get a good few.

Dropshotting on very light gear is a good method. As is the usual spinning, maggot methods.

Pm me if your heading towards carlow I'll put you on a few old favourites!

GFish

whelzer wrote: »

The Barrow has plenty of perch. Use your fly rod. This time of year a white/silver lure, tungsten bead/dumbbell eyes, use some sort of wire trace as you could easy pick up a pike...

Thanks for that.

Anywhere in particular, say between Loughlinbridge and Graiguenamanagh, or are they everywhere in the Barrow? Are there any in the Nore?

40 years ago we used to catch them with a worm, a penny hook and half a cork (from the local pub) as a float. We didn't target perch - we were fishing for trout and the perch were just a nuisance eating our bait. Now when I have decent equipment and would like to catch them, I can't find any. How times change.

"...Pick up a Pike ..." - say that ten times

GFish

ardinn wrote: »

The problem is finding them, but once you do and are into a shoal you will get a good few.

That's what I remember alright.
I'll PM you

kildare lad

Theres a good few perch in the barrow. Id try the usual haunts first, ie locks, bridges, underneath boats,try them type of features although if they're getting well fished the perch wont be long moving on. If you find the roach the perch wont be to far away either. Funnily enough the last few years, im after meeting quite a lot more trout anglers on the canals, drop shotting and light jigging for perch, after the trout season closes.

GFish

ardinn wrote: »

Pm me if your heading towards carlow I'll put you on a few old favourites!

Tried that but your inbox is full.
Also send a Facebook application Kay

whelzer

kildare lad wrote: »

Theres a good few perch in the barrow. Id try the usual haunts first, ie locks, bridges, underneath boats,try them type of features although if they're getting well fished the perch wont be long moving on. If you find the roach the perch wont be to far away either. Funnily enough the last few years, im after meeting quite a lot more trout anglers on the canals, drop shotting and light jigging for perch, after the trout season closes.

I target them on the fly this time of year on the canals and slow stretches of the Barrow, as you said a bit of structure is where to look. Small (12,10) longshank streamers, dumbbell eyes or tungsten bead for weight, generally white or silver in colour do the biz. During trout season I will sometimes target them on very slow & deep sections of river that tend to drop to just about wadeable level during summer. They are great sport on a 4/5 wt fly rod. Numbers tend to fluctuate a lot on rivers, some years tons and tons of them, the next year very few.

GFish

Got 2 Perch and 4 Dace on the river last week.
Was crossing the Canal today with half an hour spare - 2 Perch.

None of the Perch were in KK, none were more than 6 inches long but they were Perch so that's one tick on my bucket-list.

The Dace were a first time ever catch so that was good too.

Thanks for the advice.