Grubbing for Surf Perch

Grubbing for Surf Perch

With the recent closures, most anglers hang up their rods during the winter. However, some excellent fishing can still be done on the beach. Grubbing for perch is inexpensive and very rewarding. Equipment for perch is minimal and since they live near the shore in the breaking surf, finding them is not very hard.

<strong>Tackle</strong></p><blockquote><p>Rods: 7-8feet long, light- medium action.</p><p>Reels: Just about any small spinning reel with a good drag is fine. My favorite are Shimano reels, 500 &amp; 1000 models.</p><p>Line: 4 pound test line.</p><p>Leader: 4 pound test fluorocarbon line. Usually 18-20 inches long in small to moderate size surf. About 12 inches more or less in rough surf.</p><p>Hooks: Size 8 or 10 Octopus hook, or size 6 bait-holder hook. Tie on a size 4 bait-holder hook for the 3in. grub.</p><p>Bead and swivel: 6mm red bead and a size14 black barrel swivel.</p></blockquote><p><strong>Bait</strong></p><blockquote><p>Grubs: 1 &frac12; inch and 3 inch grubs. Kalin, Big hammer, and Berkley PowerBait have excellent grubs.</p><p>Color: My personal favorite colors are motor oil/w red flake and clear w/ red flake. Other great colors are motor oil /w gold flake, orange, rootbeer, and pearl.</p></blockquote><p><strong>Location</strong></p><blockquote><p>Perch can be anywhere along the beach. Some spots will hold more than others. At the beach look for a foamy backwash area. Food is stirred up in the backwash, which attract hungry perch. Also, search for holes or deep depressions in the water. Finding these areas is easiest at a low tide. If either of these two areas do not produce fish, it is very important to walk the beach casting until you locate feeding perch.</p></blockquote><p><strong>Time</strong></p><blockquote><p>SurfPerch can be caught all year long. However, the best months are January - April. The biggest perch are most often caught in early spring, while small perch bite at any time of the year.</p><p>Perch are influenced by tidal movement. Morning or afternoon incoming and outgoing tides are best for grubbing. Grubs do not produce as well at mid-day under a bright sun. If the sky is overcast during the day, perch may bite all day long.</p></blockquote><p><strong>Technique</strong></p><blockquote><p>I recommend using a steady retrieve with the grub. If reeling in steady does not produce fish, try a fast or slow retrieve. Sometimes perch can be picky, and when they are a steady retrieve with short twitches may be the key. Also, during slow times deadsticking the grub works well. Simply cast out and let the grub sit, then slowly work it back to shore barely turning the handle on your reel just to keep your line tight.</p></blockquote><p>For excellent perching in the future, please practice catch and release. It's not uncommon to have 30+ fish days. An occasional perch for a taco if fine, but remember the limit is 5 perch per day per person.</p><p></p><p>For more information on grubbing for surf perch, please visit <a href="http://www.hookupsportfishing.com/">http://www.hookupsportfishing.com</a></p></b></font>

[Cuban_Fish]

Very informative, thanks for that.