In A Nutshell! 
by Brian Steele

Looking at the records for last year’s perch captures by our members, two things stand out. The first thing is that lots of our members appear to be predominantly river fisherman. This being the reason why a large percentage of perch caught, are of course river fish. The second is that a fair percentage of our members did not catch a 2lb plus perch all season. The reason for this could be explained by several things: - lack of fishing time, fishing at the wrong times, wrong conditions or wrong venues – which brings me to the point of this article.

I rate canals as the best chance of all to land yourself a two-pound perch! There are very few anglers willing to tackle canals. Why? I feel there are probably two main reasons for this. The first is the daunting prospect of fishing featureless, coffee coloured, boat bound waterways. And that’s without mentioning the little piles that some people’s pets leave all along the towpath! The second is, because we have limited time available – when we do get to go fishing, we opt for the favourite stillwater swim or the banker stretch of river. All I can say to you is you don’t know what you’re missing!

Even seasoned anglers can sometimes get it wrong when it comes to fishing canals. I wouldn’t fish any canal during the months of April to September, for many obvious reasons. But those very same canals from October 2001 until March 2002 produced an average of a 2lb plus fish for every visit. Why? Because I fish at the right times, in the right conditions and in the right places (where the fish are)

You might say, “it’s alright for you, you can see the fish”. And rightly so, but so can you! So now I am going to explain to you all how, with a little effort, you too can catch some big canal perch – and what’s more you can do it when fishing on lakes and rivers is generally poor.

Alternatively you can find out which stretches are absolutely choked with weed in the summer months, because these stretches will go clear in winter and will also hold the sediment as it settles and the big perch. So let’s now assume you have found out about such a stretch (it will be easier than you think).

Next, you will need to go and have a look for yourself, so get in the car and go and find a safe place to park near enough to the stretch you are going to tackle this winter. Don’t expect to see much at this time of year though. If you find a very weedy stretch (silk or blanket weed is best) or a nice clear water stretch, you are half way there!

I will explain the reasons for all of these as we go along. Now put all your gear away, you won’t be needing it for a while!.

Planning & The Weather :- You will need to be ready when October comes and we have the first frosts of the year, to go to your chosen stretch of canal in search of the big perch.

The weather is vital, so keep an eye on those weather forecasts. You are looking for high pressure, sunny weather, with no wind and a sudden drop in nighttime temperatures. These are your best fish spotting conditions.

D-Day :- The day has arrived, there have been a couple of overnight frosts (this will also help settle any sediment in the water), it is sunny but cold and there is a very light westerly breeze. You will need to wrap up warm – as you won’t concentrate if you feel cold. Take a flask, sunglasses, peaked hat and a cigar! Leave the dog at home and go alone! Get in the car and drive to your stretch of canal.

On arrival, put everything out of your mind. Focus on the task in hand. Preferably you will be walking with your shadow behind you, not on the water! Walk as close to the edge as possible at “Pins” pace. Search every inch of the bottom. This is where the perch will be, but don’t go with any pre-conceived ideas about where the perch will be located, as they could be anywhere! Pay special attention to the deeper stretches and to the areas where you find shoals of roach – the perch won’t be far away. You will probably see pike, carp and tench along the way, but these are only passing distractions your real goals will stop you in your tracks, believe me! When you spot your first big perch you may not be sure at first, but look closely and you will see the stripes. At this point you are free to punch the air, smile to yourself or light your cigar because the rest is going to be easy! Mark the spot with something that won’t blow away or easily be disturbed by a canal walker or jogger. Then carry on searching, there will be more! And now you have “your eye in” so to speak, they will be easy to spot. Now you will need some bait.

Bait :- The chances are, the perch you have located have not been caught recently, if at all. So they are going to be easy to catch. All you will need for bait are lobworms.

If you have never been out and gathered your own worms, here’s how to do it. Pick an evening when it has rained throughout the day or early morning. Take a bait box and go out. (I don’t know why but 9pm seems to be a very productive time). Look all along the edges of the pavement nearest to walls and fences (the ground must still be wet). You will see the worms lying half exposed. When you find one it is important that you don’t make a grab for it straight away. Position yourself near the worm, place your forefinger and thumb either side of the worm as close to where the worm enters the ground as possible.

You must grab it firmly, but pull it gently until you feel the worm relax. Then you can pull it out without breaking it. You can also do this on the lawn and newly mown grass verges, but the worms on grass are harder to locate and are very sensitive to vibration and shadow, so tread carefully and move slowly. This is all of course if you can cope with the embarrassment of being seen doing it. I won’t go into details of how to keep your worms as this has been well documented over the years. I will only add that a mixture of wet newspaper and grass worked very well.

Catching Your Perch :- You have located the fish, your tackle is ready to go and you have enough bait to fish half the canal. The day has arrived to go and catch your big canal stripey, but as another piece of advice make sure there is no smell of soap on your hands! Set your rod up free-line style and make sure the hook is sharp. Put your gear in the car and drive to the canal. Don’t expect the fish to be in exactly the same place, but they will be close!

Keep looking until you locate a fish. Once you have found one (calm down), couple your rod together, hook on a big lobworm and nip off the tail to release some juices. I usually hook them once through the saddle so the hook is not masked on the strike!

Position yourself behind the fish and “plop” the worm in. This will draw the perches attention to the worm as it falls through the water. You want to settle it approximately 12 inches from the perch’s nose and make sure that the line is slack. He will come over to investigate. When he sees the worm he will tilt up, get ready! As soon as the gills flare open strike.

You should get the fish up to the surface as soon as possible – hence the heavy rod. Don’t sorry about the line; as long as you have the drag set to give line sparingly it won’t break. I don’t prolong the fight any longer than is absolutely necessary, which is (in the long run) better for the fish and angler alike. Net the fish as soon as possible. The line won’t break unless you bully the fish too hard. Remember it is the angler who breaks the line not the fish!

Once you have netted the fish, you are free to dance around like an idiot and generally celebrate as you see fit, but don’t forget to unhook the fish and weight it in the carrier bag. After this, sack your prize in a suitable deep area, (away from your fishing area) and then have a look round for some more fish, whilst you wait for someone to photograph your catch.

Bin Bag :- This serves several purposes. It is ideal to put your rucksack in if it starts raining and it also comes in handy for putting your wet net and sack in when you have finished fishing. Finally, and most importantly it can be used as a ground sheet for the person taking the photographs so they can kneel down and be on the same level as you and your fish.

Photograph :- Make sure when someone comes along to photograph your prize you explain what you want from them. Try not to pick someone who wears glasses (no offence intended) but someone who doesn’t wear glasses will take a true picture because their eye is closer to the view-finder and they see through the lens what they are framing.

Tell them how close you want the shots and vary them to ensure you get at least one good one. Keep your fingers out of the way and make sure the photographer’s shadow is not cast across you or the fish! Also make sure there are no stems of grass or plants between the lens and your fish. Don’t be afraid to take 8 or 10 shots; don’t sell yourself short for a couple of quid when you’ve put so much effort into catching this fish in the first place!!!

Remember those pictures are forever and you may never catch that fish again. Alternatively you can do some self-portraits, described perfectly by Kevin Woodthorpe in issue 31 of our magazine. It really is simple, if you follow Kev’s advice.

Lastly, Don’t Panic. You have plenty of time and if as I recommend you keep the fight to a minimum your fish will cope very well with being out of the water long enough to take at least a few good shots.

So. That’s it, in a nutshell!

I can’t make it any simpler than that. For those of you who decide to go out and give it a try you will have a very rewarding winter campaign. For the rest, who knows? All that’s left for me to say is, go and add another string to your angling bow and go catch some monster canal perch. They are out there! Believe me. Good luck and Tight Lines.