Hi Guys

Ive been playing with fast sinking lines, short leaders and buoyant muddlers with rainbow trout much like boobys.

The idea crossed my mind that this stlye might work well for perch

Seeing as ive only bagged "one" perch on the fly i was wondering what you guys with more experince think to this and any suggestions on hooks size,stlye, and materials/colours i should be thinking before tying up a few Muddlers for perch ?? Yes i know i could use boobys .........But i thought they might be a bit delicate for perch.

Interested in your veiws

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Englander

"Barbless since 2008"

Vision GT Four catapult 9' 6#
Vision GT Four SW 9' 9#
Vision 3 Zone 9' 5#
Vision Cult 9' 3#
Shakespeare Trion 9' 5/6#
Cortland Endurance 9' 6#
Shakespeare Expedition float tube
Vosseler DC3 reel
Okuma Helios 8/9 reel
Greys G series 3/4 reel
Snowbee Geo 3/4 reel

I dont see why it wouldnt work englander, my only qualm would be the heavier gear needed to fish the fast sinkers. I use my 3 weight for perch and can cast surprisingly heavy flies with it, if i need to get down i use various sinking speed polyleaders with quite a long length of tippet.

Saying that, all of my perch fishing so far has been done in summer where the fish can be caught in the margins so such tactics are not necessary, I like to use flies with a heavy head to give them a jigging action which the perch seem to love.

Im thinking about trying the canal for them later in the week, im getting bored of not catching any pike so it will be nice to blank with a lighter set-up in my hand

Perch will take almost anything from lures to nymphs, so looking for a pattern is not to hard. try something with a gold bead on they love a flash of metal on any fly.
Gold bead hares ear and pheasent tail nymphs have been successful for me also small fry patterns.
The most important thing is working the lure with lots of action fish a lure with a heavy head so it dips and dives on the retreive. Even jigging a lure or nymph off the rod tip will catch perch, but you must fish near the bottom.
Perch also love features ignore them at your peril! They are also a shoal fish so were there is one often there are more.......

hi englander i dont know about you but in my experience perch are really bad for swallowing hooks right down if you dont have a sensitive set up,, so id be careful with the booby as it allows slack line so when your fishing slowly you dont register the take quickly ,and trout usually swallow them hence the reason they are banned for catch & release on every water i know so dont see why the same wouldnt happen for perch

I agree blobsandbungs, perch are terrible for swallowing hooks. Its worse with bait but even on a fairly quick retrieve they manage to suck the fly right in. My most successful perch flies have been sparklers and a fairly generic lure with an orange marabou tail, a fritz body with an orange hackle over it and either dumbell eyes, coneheads, beads etc etc

As has been said though they will take more or less anything, i wish they were more partial to dries though

Saying that, i read an article about popper fishing for perch, need to try that!

Good point guys when i float fish for them i use worm and quill float shotted close to the hook and deeply set so the slightest movement can be struck to avoid deep hooking...........unlike ruddy bubble floats

However i shall field test it and see im barbless anyway, and my lightning reflexes let my hook two rainbows in the scissors and one in the lip on thursday when ni tried it on them

Dont know when i shall get out to try it but keep you posted

__________________
Englander

"Barbless since 2008"

Vision GT Four catapult 9' 6#
Vision GT Four SW 9' 9#
Vision 3 Zone 9' 5#
Vision Cult 9' 3#
Shakespeare Trion 9' 5/6#
Cortland Endurance 9' 6#
Shakespeare Expedition float tube
Vosseler DC3 reel
Okuma Helios 8/9 reel
Greys G series 3/4 reel
Snowbee Geo 3/4 reel

Perch don't swallow flies in my experience, they may suck them in deeply but this is far different from actually swallowing them.
Yeah, if bait fishing perch will swallow the hook right down but I've never had a swallowed fly, from 100's of perch caught. If anything they let go extremely quickerly, I've watched them many times in clear water. The fly is out of their mouth in a blink. They must instantly realise that what looked so edible and tempting, jigging by their nose, has no taste, smell or "life" and so spit it out in disgust, after just a quick "mouthing".
Unless your boobies are impregnated with flavour (in which case you're bait fishing!) perch won't swallow them and unless you fish on a fairly tight (or moving) line then I doubt you will hook many or even feel any takes either.
That isn't to say I don't think you could catch perch on a sinker/boobie combo but too slow a retrieve and I think you'll struggle, just because you won't feel the taps.
I use an inter or faster sinker with gold heads in winter aiming to get the fly close to the bottom, moving jerkily and importantly the line to the fly as straight as possible...instant contact.
Dee

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It's not flyfishing if you're throwing bait in....learn to do it properly

Maybe sucking them in deeply is a better description than swallowing but i think were all on the same page. I agree with what you say about perch rejecting flies very quickly, most of my perch fishing is done in summer on my local canal where the perch sit in the marginal shallows.

I never feel the bite unless the fish has hooked itself or got stuck for a second, i often watch a group of perch take turns at mouthing the fly and rejecting it and i dont feel a thing.

I remember one day i was concentrating on a wall on the far side that had shallow water for two or three feet in front and then dropped off, i could see the small perch in the shallows and if i didnt get an offer i would strip the fly back as quick as possible to recast (lifting a long line and a heavy lure with a 3 weight is asking for trouble). Obviously on a fast strip the fly comes close to the surface, i watched in amazement as a perch easily over 2lbs cruised just under the surface and mouthed the fly 4 times before rejecting it! I couldnt believe that takes from such a big perch even on a fast retrieve could be so subtle, again i felt nothing!

I am with Skateboard on this. You will not feel the taps and I think you will struggle with a sinking set up.

Hi Guys

This is all very interesting stuff indeed, i had no idea about mouthing etc all my pearch fishing has been on the float and worm normally very positive bites.

Keep it coming

__________________
Englander

"Barbless since 2008"

Vision GT Four catapult 9' 6#
Vision GT Four SW 9' 9#
Vision 3 Zone 9' 5#
Vision Cult 9' 3#
Shakespeare Trion 9' 5/6#
Cortland Endurance 9' 6#
Shakespeare Expedition float tube
Vosseler DC3 reel
Okuma Helios 8/9 reel
Greys G series 3/4 reel
Snowbee Geo 3/4 reel