Common throughout Britain, but sparse in the highlands of Scotland. Found in most lakes, ponds and rivers.

A handsome fish that is easily recognised, having two dorsal fins - the first being greyish/olive in colour and reinforced with hard, sharp pointed rays. The flat-sided body is generally dark green backed graduating to a white belly, having five to nine striped bands - giving the nickname of 'Stripey'; the pelvic fins are bright red/orange. The perch has a range of colour variations, from pale olive-grey and insipid stripes to almost black stripes on bright emerald, depending on the water conditions. The bigger fish tend to become humped backed. The relatively small scales are imbedded deep in the skin are rough to the touch. When handling perch - watch out for the sharp spines and gill covers.

The British record is a Perch of 5lb 9oz 8dr caught by Dean Rawlings, from Glebe Lake, 2002. Any fish over 2lb is considered a specimen and a worthy catch. A small perch is perhaps the first fish any angler will catch, as they are a very aggressive, hungry fish that will snap at almost anything offered on a hook. Big perch are a totally different matter and are not easily caught.

Like all fish, perch love underwater structures, tree roots, weed beds, bridge supports, etc., these are all good places to ambush anything edible sheltering there. Find the food source and you'll find the perch eating the menu.Smaller perch can move in shoals, rounding up and attacking fry, which results in the tiny fish leaping clear of the surface in an attempt to evade the predators. Keep a lookout for these showers of escaping fry - it's a good indication that perch are feeding in the vicinity.Wherever anglers catch lots of small fish, roach, dace, bleak, etc., - lookout for the odd big perch taking advantage of the situation.

Generally the bigger perch are solitary creatures, mainly because if anything smaller swims near them it gets eaten or bullied out of the way.

Baits and Lures Perhaps the best bait for large perch is the lobworm - fished on a size 6-10 hook either ledgered, float fished or free-lined if fishing close range. Injecting the worm with air and popping it up off the bottom an inch or two, makes irresistible bait. Make sure to use a clean syringe and always air-inject the worms on a solid surface - never on the palm of your hand.
A tiny piece of rubber band slipped onto the hook will keep the worm in place and help to keep the hook exposed.
Chopped worm, maggots and casters never fail; small prawns and minnows can make alternative bait.
Spinning is a good tactic, as it allows you to move around and find where the perch are. The fish will usually be in the shallows close to natural features in the summer, and in the deeper water in the winter.

Try a small bladed spinner like the ones made by Mepps. I add a tuft of bright red wool to the treble hooks as an added attraction. Small spoons, plugs and soft plastic or 'jelly' imitations are also worth a try.

Unfortunately pike are also attracted to these baits, so if you fish a water that does contain pike, use a thin very supple wire trace to stop the possibility of being bitten off.
Out of personal preference I crush the barbs down on any trebles.

Fly-fishing using lures or attractors intended for trout has resulted in perch being taken. Fish imitating flies such as the Muddler Minnow right down to a Red Tag have all caught perch on their day.
For bait fishing, use a medium weight float rod around 13ft in length, 4lb line is generally strong enough for most situations combined with a 3lb hook length, as perch can become tackle shy.
A lightweight pole will do a similar job perhaps with more control and precision over the terminal tackle.

Use a hook size to complement the size of the bait, don't be afraid to leave plenty of hook showing when using worms.

When ledgering an open-ended feeder full of chopped worms and casters sandwiched between fine groundbait will get most fish in the feeding mood