Find perch and control your soft-plastic presentation
Course pack: Perch coverage and retrieve log. Coach Willy, our virtual AI coach, can explain each step, set you a practice task and check your understanding.
Who it's for
New to this? Perfect — no experience needed. Aimed at perch.
Where and when
Done on the bank. Best in: all.
What you'll work through
- 1Observe habitat permissions and likely bycatch
- 2Inspect an appropriate lure setup
- 3Practise controlled retrieve depth and coverage
- 4Compare one factor and reflect
Step 1: Observe habitat permissions and likely bycatch
Alright mate, let's get stuck into find perch and control your soft-plastic presentation. I'll walk you through what to look for, what to try and how to tell whether it helped. We'll start with observe habitat permissions and likely bycatch, then work through a proper practice job at each step. Take it at your own pace and keep a few notes so you've got a useful plan for next time.
By the end of this step
Have a go at: observe habitat permissions and likely bycatch.
Check first
Anyone 13 or over fishing for freshwater fish in England and Wales needs a rod licence , plus permission from whoever controls the water. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own systems.
Willy’s take
Perch love structure, think fallen trees, reed margins, moored boats, bridge pilings and sudden depth changes, so start by walking the bank and looking rather than casting blind.
Check the fishery's rules too, since some waters have size or bag limits on perch, and note that where you're targeting perch with lures, pike are often sharing the same water, so a wire trace is sensible even though you're not targeting them deliberately. Watch for small fry scattering near the surface, that's often a sign perch are feeding underneath.
Take ten minutes just observing before your first cast, it tells you far more than working blind down a featureless stretch of bank.
Kit I'd start with
- For small perch plastics, a 7-8ft spinning rod rated roughly 3-15g or 5-20g, a 2000-2500-size reel and suitable thin braid make a useful example outfit. Match the complete lure and jig-head weight to the rod's casting range.
- Around 5-7cm plastics and heads such as 3g, 5g and 7g give a small comparison set for sheltered water; deeper water, wind or current may need a different range. Thinner braid reduces wind drag but offers less margin against damage, so inspect it and choose strength for the fish and clear landing route.
- Where pike might be present, fit suitable fine wire covering the lure and hook area from the start, not only when you spot a pike. Fluorocarbon isn't bite protection. Carry a suitable net, mat and tools, and get pike handling help first if you aren't competent with likely bycatch.
On the bank
Worked example
Imagine this: You've arrived at a new venue with soft plastics ready but no idea yet where the perch might be holding. What safe starting choice would you make here, and what would you watch before changing it?
Your turn: Observe habitat permissions and likely bycatch
- 1
Walk the bank looking for structure before casting
- 2
Check fishery rules on perch limits
That's the free sample — this is where it stops
The full step keeps going with the rest of the practice job, common mistakes and fixes, a check-your-understanding quiz and your Perch coverage and retrieve log. Then 3 more steps, each with its own task, and Coach Willy on hand to talk it through.
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