Episode 240: Lake Bidyanus Silver Perch With Nick Hocking

Nick’s Top Silver Perch Fishing Tips

• Don’t go under-gunned to Lake Bidyanus. The system has been stocked with perch for some 25 years and since it’s shallow with lots of structure and plenty of food, many of the fish are 58-62 cm they’re strong and don’t stray too far from structure, so take gear that has enough grunt to stop them.
• Silver perch have small mouths but put up a very hard fight, so small lures and very strong hooks and rings are essential. Buy quality lures and be prepared to upgrade hooks and rings if necessary.
• This is a very timid species and the water is clear, so stealth and camouflage are the key to getting close enough to make a cast.
• Perch fishing is good all year round in Lake Bidyanus, but Nick prefers to fish the cooler months when the weather is more stable and ther wind is less problematic. Still overcast days fish best but night fishing on balmy summers nights is also very effective.
• Look for dark green holes hear horizontal logs as the fish clear out the algae an excavate a hidey hole in these areas.
• Start by casting a distance from the structure as your chances of extracting a fish are highest if they happen to move out of cover. Make successive casts closer to cover until you get a strike.
• When  fish is hooked, give it no line and attempt to wrangle it away from cover. If the fish gets back into cover, back off the drag and give it some time, then try to gently lead it away from the structure. Good luck!
• Nick likes to scent his lures by rubbing them with a piece of bitey, mature cheese.

Nick’s Preferred Silver Perch Fishing Tackle

• Nick likes the Shimano Zodias 3-6kg rod with a 2500 size Stradic Ci4 reel, 10lb braid and a rods length or more of 10lb fluorocarbon leader. He finds this combination has enough grunt to handle the fish but can also cast the small lures.

Nick’s Silver Perch Fishing Lures

• A small hardbody lure of 35-45 mm length, preferably in a translucent green colour is great when fish are seen free-swimming. Look for suspending models – Nick recommends removing the front treble for perch fishing in Lake Bidyanus, though you might need to add a small adhesive weight to keep the lure suspending properly once the hook has been removed. Cast these out and crank them down, then let them sit stationary for a few seconds. Twitch the lure every now and again, fish usually take lures when they’re stationary, just after a twitch.
• 40mm Squidgies Crawlers are great fished unweighted in the shade beneath snags. Let them sink down into the water and give them the occasional twitch, but nothing too wild. Don’t forget to rub them with cheese first. 
• Squidgies Critters are fished in much the same way as crawlers, but are rigged weedless and are Nick’s lure of choice when he needs to fish them deep into cover.
• Small Halco Nightwalkers or 30-40mm cup faced poppers are a good option for after dark fishing. Nick prefers moonlit nights due to the amount of structure present, as it helps to be able to see where you’re casting. These are best fished with short bloops followed by longer pauses of several seconds. Be prepared to turn on the torch and go in search of the fish once it’s hooked and don’t forget if the fish gets into structure, back the drag off and try and coax it back out.