Making a perch video, can't stop catching pike.

I work shifts, earlies, days and then afternoons. I love my early shift as I used to do twelve hour shifts from 6am so now an eight hour shift from 6am is an absolute doddle, plus I can often fish afterwards. Days is usually crap, especially in winter as it's dark before and after work. Afternoons is pants, but at least I get to go fishing on a morning so it has it's perk. I was due a week of afternoons but various things happened and I ended up swapping shifts and just doing two lates, which meant two days fishing. I'll talk about the first day here, but the second day out needs a post all to itself!

I get plenty of messages on my various pages and a young lad named Lewis was asking about ultra light fishing, braid choice, lures and the rest and also commented on how he liked my ultra light videos. So I thought I needed to make another one and on Wednesday that was the plan. We all get a little confused at what lures to buy as everyone always says you need this, you need that and then we end up with all sorts, much of which is just another version of something else. Soft shads and a few cranks and you're away. I love the jointed Rapala shad rap and suggested Lewis get a couple of those. I set off fishing with the intention of catching some perch on that lure, I had to prove it works.

I wasn't up super early and arrived at the canal for just before 9am. By heck it was grand weather again and so the shorts stayed on and my legs got some air to them. Probably not a good idea as I'd also get bit to death by all manner of blood sucking insects but never mind. I was trying to keep cool so also travelled as light as I could. Hardly any lures and not much else but my net.

I was out for perch with the hope that a decent one would show it's head. I'd not fished here for a while so no idea what to expect. Turned out I couldn't find any perch because the pike kept showing their heads. I love pike on the light gear, it's great fun. I think I lost one and ended up with five including one which was about 12lb, a nice chunky fish in good condition. My ultra light perch video wasn't going too well.

Pike on jointed rapala shad rap

I wasn't complaining one bit. It was great fun catching pike. I had a couple of spectacular hits and that's why i love lure fishing. Everything about it all is fantastic and whether it's tiny lures or big lumps of wood you can expect a pike to be along soon to add to the thrills. But I needed a perch, there had to be one somewhere and then eventually I got a hit, and the fight was something different, this wasn't a pike. I knew it was a perch, and a decent one at that. I'm trying to think of a way to explain the fight but can't. No lunges like a pike, no ten foot dash in one second like old esox. The tiny perch do a little dance and shake themselves about as much as possible. The bigger ones do the same, but you can feel a bit of weight to them as they shake their head about trying to throw them hooks. As the perch came in to view I hoped that those head shakes wouldn't shed the hooks. A perch battle always seems to last forever when often they are over pretty quick. Usually because you shit yourself at the thought of losing a big perch and so the net is forced under it it at the first chance you get. I still do that. The fight was over and I finally had a big perch to show Lewis.  Job done with a 2lb 12oz perch in the net. It was the last fish of my session and I headed back to the car and ate my lunch as I drove to work for the dreaded afternoon shift. I know i've said it before though. These afternoon shifts aren't so bad.

Perch on jointed Rapala shad rap

The video