PERCH FISHING

[jhaquett]

Hey guys sorry about all of the ocean fly fishing questions, I just really don't know a thing about it but am very curious to learn 8) ! I was wondering about a few things when it comes to surf fishing for perch. I am heading to Drake's Beach this upcoming weekend.

First, I am just going to use a size 6 shrimp imitation (pink, orange and cream), sound good?

Second, should I put a weighted head on the shrimp, wrap it in copper wire, or leave it weightless?

Third, should I use a floating line/sinking line, long leader/short leader? And I'm guessing a heavy leader is going to be best (around 10 lb.)?

Fourth, should I use an indicator?

Fifth, do I need a shooting head? Can you home make one?

Sorry for being such a dullard in the subject of ocean fly fishing, its very new to me :roll:

Any info would be great, thanks. :-D

[lee s.]

I would drop the bug size to #8-#12 ,with starting preferrence being #10. Most use a T-something head or type 6 head.....shooting head that is. Weight in a bug seems a good thing in the surf. STAY in contact with your bug. Most of us find more "constant" success staying UNDER the foam as opposed to mending line OVER the foam. Some DO like the floating string approach, but I would not think the bobber to be benificial there.
....lee s.

[Darian]

OK,.... try the website:

http://home.att.net/~surf.perch/main.html

This the website of "mrnoodlerod" (mark) who has incorporated a lot of info about fishing the surf for Perch. Just click on the buttons that reflect tips and equipment he recommends. Such as: Equipment & Tips. The descriptions include graphics of his leader design and some recommended fly patterns to use over there. 8) 8) 8)

A second website is:

www.zenflyfishing.com

In addiion, Ken Hanley has written a couple of books about fly fishing in the surf that you should acquire for future reference.

Both of these websites and books include valuable info about Perchin' in the surf. :D :D :D

[PaulC]

Here's my shot at suggestions. You'll find lots of them I'm sure.
1) #4-#6 patterns and keep them simple. Perch do not care what the hell you are throwing. Orange and red seem to work. Mainly tye the fly to have lots of movement (i.e. marabou tails) and some flash. Odds are it will be seen and bit.

2) Dumbell eyes up front or right near the point (your choice for action) tyed to keep the point out of the sand.

3) Depends where you're fishing. Either using a shooting head with intermediate running line or an integrated sink tip line in the surf is the ticket. Bays, rocky jetties, etc. can all benefit from floaters or intermediate full lines.

4) No indicator. It will screw up your contact with the line and isn't necessary. Just keep stripping line in.

5) Short answer. Yes. Either buy an integrated line or make your own. You can cut T8 or T14 rio heads to create whatever grain weight feels right on your rod. Having the weighted line will help you maintain contact with your bug in the surf.

The other thing I would highly suggest is a good stripping basket. They will make your life easier from a line management standpoint. Get one with posts if you can.

There's lots of fish out in the surf and a perch bite can be great when you hit it right.
The beauty of perch is they do tend to school and hang on structure. You can even get walleye surf perch on the surface.
So, if you find structure and find one fish....odds are there are more guys right there.
Down south, its not unheard of having 30+ perch sessions, and sounds like from Anne's post a while back that you can run into similar mojo up north. Right on Anne!

Here's a species sampler from two nights ago. Do you guys run into croaker up there? We get them in a few spots in the central coast, but they seem more prevalent in the LA/south areas.
Fun fish...pull with a strong tap that is recognizable. Reminds me of a brown trout or a dolly.
The ones the other night were throwing bait in waves reminiscent of Baja on a much smaller scale.

Another link to a more detailed data dump is
http://www.garybulla.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=3492

Hope that helps,
Paul

Calico/Barred/Yellow fin croaker
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v715/Cronin/collage_033006.jpg

[jhaquett]

Great info guys, thanks for the detail Paul. I will have to retie some flashier, dumbell headed shrimp. I put flashabou in my other ones but probably not enough.