Perch Archives - Flyfishing FWSW

With a late start I opted to fish my secondary water conveniently located next to the pub.
I started with fishing the mill pool hoping that the any pike that had flushed out due to an earlier snafu with the mill weir had returned back. Alas nothing hit the streamer I fished.

Since that weir blowout the already shallow weir pool had become even shallower
so not exactly attractive for pike to hold.
The seasonal clearing of the water made it apparent how shallow that pool had become.

I opted to fish the stream further back and found the usual small fish like roach and
dace although I could swear that I spotted a trout scooting off.
After a while I tried the mill pool again hoping for a perch on the squirmy.
I would think that for a perch the squirmy would be irresistible but that assumption was incorrect.

In the end a pheasant tail nymph with a black bead and a pink crystal chenille collar
proved to be the perch catcher.
The weather on this day was nice but not as warm as I had hoped so surface action was not visible.

When the light faded I came to the conclusion that the water was not really that warm
so the choice to call it a day and go get something to eat was quickly made.

Germany 27-04-2024

28 April 2024 admin

Gave the stream a try again last Saturday.
The previous week was quite cold and off course rain was often on the menu.
In the weekend the temperatures would be on the rise so good for fishing.
Once at the water I was unpleasantly surprised at the height and color of the
stream, higher than expected – visibility lower than expected.

My goal was to finally get a trout, after all it was almost May.
To find trout I fished some of the spots I normally do not frequent and tossed
a black streamer through the murky water.
That only resulted in lost streamers as I could not spot any brushes and deadfalls
in the murky water.

There was no response from fish, nothing to be seen on the surface.
I tried many spots, tossed nymphs and dryflies to no avail, almost no bites.
This day started smelling like skunk.
Last option was to hit the upper section of the stream where it was formed
by the junction of two small brooks.

I could not believe my eyes when I actually spotted a very decent trout in this
very tiny stream. My choice of fly for this skinny water was wrong though.
The squirmy made the trout bolt.. should have used the dry fly.
I tried to locate the hiding spot of the trout but did not manage to find it.

I continued fishing the squirmy and actually caught quite a few nice shiners.
Pleasantly surprised about the size of the fish and the aggressive takes.
This upper part was really shallow but any depression or root work held one or
the other fish. It was a good thing I opted for a short short 6.5ft trout bum.

I even crept up into one of the feeders.
A struggle to get even at the water with all the shrubs, brambles and so on.
Alas, only some nibbles there.

Roach

Germany 06-04-2024

7 April 2024 admin

The weather prospects for Saturday where very good.
26 degrees C and sunshine should have counted for lots of activity.
However as on many occasions this season the day before it had rained… heavily.
So once again a blown out stream to deal with.

Looking at the nearest measuring station on the stream I was in doubt to even
go seeing the high level, in the end I went anyway.
As predicted the waters where high and discolored and whatever I tried I just
could not get any hits.

In these high water situations I usually would stick to spots that held fish
most of the times but that did not work out.
I moved up further afield and after a long time I finally hooked a fish be
it for a short while as it came off.

The salvation for the day came when a gudgeon nailed the squirmy and
actually stayed on. Fishing the squirmy normally means that you get a lot
of tail bites where the fish hang on until the last moment.

One fish was good as it saved me from a blank but still it was somewhat
dissatisfying as I had expected more action on this warm day.
After lunch I tried a second stream, this particular stream had a mill pool
which always had fish in it … or had.

Due to a mechanical failure the weir gate of the mill had been removed.
That resulted in an almost dam break situation where tons of sand where
deposited in the already shallow mill pool.
Now the water rushed in a straight flow down the opening of the mill
making fishing very difficult due to the odd current conditions.

I tried the end of the pool and surprisingly got many hits from small fish.
Caught a lot of the small stuff and they all looked very battered so it
could be that those fish came from above the weir when the gates where pulled.
Had hoped to run into some larger stuff but it was not be.

Germany, 16-07-2023

17 July 2023 admin

Normally so far in Summer I would concentrate on the big chub in the lower reaches of the
stream I fish … if conditions are right.
Conditions where however not right, a very strong wind and cloud cover made a visit to the
chub seem like a waste of time.

So it was off to the upper section and I was quite surprised how low the water was by now.
Even the pools that normally held some water looked like a puddle now.
The puddle yielded a small Rudd and one attack of a resident trout.
I was sure the trout felt the hook but tried several drifts to see if it would attack, it did not.

It was early in the morning and with the extensive foliage I dared to fish one of the off limit
spots. That paid off as I caught the first trout of the day.
Interestingly the worm fly was ignored but the mop fly was taken with gusto.
The other spots where however empty and with the low water I figured I would be
better off fishing the mill pool at syndicate nr.2

That mill pool turned out to be void of anglers, a good thing.
The water was also very low but I could spot some shiners moving up and down the water.
What was missing where the trout from a time ago.
Tried my best but only hooked small perch.

With the shiners refusing my nymphs I switched to a streamer to see if any pike would be active.
Was lucky enough to get one from the shallow water, not a monster but I was happy.
Had one even smaller fish following the fly plus a few of the larger perch also took interest but
still refused to strike.

I suspected the trout might have taken refuge in the stream below the mill pool.
After spotting dozens of dace I saw the first one, a small fish.
Whatever I tossed at the trout, it was no good … it got annoyed and left the pool.
The next pool was deeper and the resident trout was larger.
Again the mop fly did the trick but the fish threw the fly as I was about to net it.

After some time I finally managed to get another brown trout on the squirmy.
Back at the mill pool I tried again for another pike but I only managed to break
the leader at some underwater obstruction near the outflow of the mill.
That was the only spot with some depth to it.
Called it day after that and went to the pub, conveniently located next to the
mill pool.

Germany 19-05-2023

21 May 2023 admin

On Friday I had the luminous idea to get the first Pike from the waters of syndicate nr. 2.
I was pretty sure I would get one from the mill pool but for some reason the only hit I got was from a perch who missed the fly.

In stark contrast to last week water levels had dropped considerably and it was now
obvious to see that the mill pool was pretty shallow.
I spotted some small dace surface feeding and noticed a carp moving about.
Small BWO’s where about plus some of the larger Danica mayflies.

The dry fly only yielded takes from tiny fish so I soon switched back to fishing nymph
and squirmy and eventually caught some dace and small perch.
I explored the waters downstream from the mill pool hoping to see a feeding trout
but the water was pretty dead.

I had spotted a quite large rudd in the surface of the mill pool and with the sun
getting low I wanted to see if I could catch that fish.
Unfortunately the strong wind pretty much killed the surface fishing as it rippled the
surface of the mill pool.

Germany 05-03-2023

12 April 2023 admin

Pondered if I would fish today or not as temps. would not exceed 42F.

Usually the start of spring is a time when not much is going on anyway.
Eventually decided to try anyway so I checked out the mill pool in one of
the German streams.

I was hoping for Perch and tossed a small streamer through the clear water.
Lost about three streamers in snags on the bottom until I finally caught one.

Next I tried the stream for shiners with the squirmy and got only one hit.
Tried the mill pool again but the cold finally got to me or to be more precise my feet.

With the pub next door the choice what to do was easy … early break.
Had the soup of the day with the porkchops and as finishing touch the apple cake.
On the way back home spotted lots of deer, did not run into the wolf that was
seen last Friday at the outskirts of the city where I live.

Germany 12-06-2022

12 June 2022 admin

I was not that early this morning but luck would have it that the competition also slept late so I had the mill pool to myself.
The water was really low and some stones surfaced that I had not seen before.
Small shiners where feeding in the surface but I tried streamer fishing first hoping a pike would hit. The pike however did not want to play.

Next try was the squirmy and it yielded a small perch.
The only deep spot in the pool with some flow was right under the weir.
A casts there yielded a decent strike and for a moment I was connected to a brown trout.
Alas only for a moment as the hook came out.

I gave the fish in at the mill a break and tried the stream itself.
Some fish where rising but these where small dace, they were to quick with their strikes.
No luck so it was off to the mill pool again.
As I was curious what insects and other critters where present I turned around some stones an
found my first crayfish.

In the mill pool I fished a small dry fly and had hits of small dace and golden shiners that were
feeding in the surface, nymphs yielded no fish at all.
A friend came by and as we talked shop some of the bait scattered in all directions.
Time to get the streamer out again.

The first attack on the stream was from a small pike but it let the fly go.
Several casts later I had a good hook up and could land a nice pike from the mill pool.
With a good fish landed it was chowtime at the pub.
Opted for the Parmensano burger and finished it off with coffee and a strawberry-rhubarb
cake.

When I left I took a look above the weir and noticed many fish hovering about.
It was a mix of perch, golden shiners and roach and not only small fish.
At the moment there were to many people around to fish it but next time that
spot would be the one I would hit first.