Perch fishing in Sweden is a fantastic way to spend your time! It is not very difficult, and unlike pike, perch is more active during the day. Don’t you know how to start of, or do you want to be sure you are using the right tactics? We gathered 7 tips for perch fishing in Sweden.
1. Go fishing with bright weather
Unlike pike, perch is active during the day. A perch has a good eyesight, so if you are fishing in clear water. Try to use some natural colours instead of intense. If the water is cloudy, than you could use more intense coulours. Because the perch will notice the bait faster due to the visibility of the water.
2. Use light materials
Because most perches you will catch will be not that big, it is good to use a lightweight rod. A rod of approximately 20 grams would be good, so you have a nice action with smaller fish. A good reel would be size 500 up till 100 maximum.
3. Technics
Thera are a lot of different technics you can use for perch fishing. That is what makes fishing for perch so interesting and fun. You could for instance use shad, but also with a pole and fish with worms. A often used technique is the dropshot. We will describe some of the techniques so you can look which fit you the most.
Dropshot:
This is a way to fish where you place your bait just above the bottom. By attaching a small lead to the end of the line, (10 grams) or so. And just above this you can attach your bait. The lead will sink to the bottom, and the bait will be just above. This will prevent a lot of getting stuck between the stones with your bait. And the bait will be very good visible for the fish in the area. Dropshot is the most effective when you are practicing it of a (belly)boat, or alongside piers.
Shads:
Another way is to fish with shads. This might be the most common way of fishing for perch. A shad is a lure that is made of soft materials. They come in all different sizes and shapes. For perch you can use shads up till 8 cm. if you use shads, it is recommended to use a 1 mm fluorocarbon or steel wire just before your shad. This just in case you catch a big pike, which is very good possible.
Cranckbaits:
Cranckbaits are often used of perch fishing. When you are fishing with cranckbaits you could use these up to 7 cm. This might seem big, but perch has a big mouth. If you are fishing with crankbaits it is just lik shads recommended to use a 1 mm fluorocarbon or steel wire. You can use floating or sinking baits. In summer perch tend to use the upper and middle part of the water. While in winter they are more found at the deeper spots. You let you bait sink till it touches the bottom. And you give a few cranks, let it sink again and repeat this. This bait is used for different kinds of species. Perch but also trout. Also in rivers this is a good choice!
Spinnerbaits:
This might be one of the cheapest ways to start you fishing adventure. The spinners are cheap and are very effective. Especially for smaller perch it can be one of the best ways to catch a lot of fish!
Spintail:
This is a small and relatively heavy bait. This makes further casts easy. The spinner blade causes an vibration that attracts fish. The body has a wiggling movement. You can notice the vibration when you retrieve the line. There are also spintails with 2 spinner blades. A bigger one and a smaller one, this for even more vibration in the water. At shallow water you can retrieve the bait just like a crankbait. At deeper water you can also jig.
4. Fishing spot
It is important to fish at the right places. Search for obstacles that baitfish might use to hide for other predator fish. Fallen or hanging trees, piers and big stones are good places for bait fish. Also reeds are usually a good hiding place for baitfish. You should not expect the biggest perches here because of the shallow water, but you can catch a lot of medium size perch here. For bigger perch it is recommended to fish at deeper spots.
5. Fluorocarbon
Perch has a very good eyesight, so it is important to use a fluorocarbon line instead of a steel wire. This is less visible for the perch and if a pike will get the bait. it will be strong enough to withstand the fight. After catching a pike on a fluorocarbon line, you should always check the line for damages. This to prevent your dreamfish coming loose next time.
6. Schools of perch
Especially smaller perch prefer to hunt in schools. So if you catch a perch in a spot. You might consider to stay a bit longer and try to catch a few more. Try to cast at the whole spot. Bigger perch tend to hunt individual.
7. Enjoy
The 7th and last tip is to enjoy your time outdoors! That is eventually the main cause of a good fishing day. Catching some fish is nice but try to enjoy the surroundings also. But this you will surely do in the Swedish nature:)
We hope you have an idea how to start perch fishing in Sweden. If you have any questions of would you like to know more, just contact us.
