Fishery Focus: Ashmoor Lakes Perch

I am lucky enough to be part of a family who own a fishery. Ashmoor Lakes in Old Basing.

It is a small, mixed coarse fishery packed with many species of fish.

Initially they were dug for me, and I have been fishing there all of my angling life, over 30 years. It's where I learned to fish, and as such I have extensive knowledge of the venue and how best to catch the fish.

So I figured it was about time I shared some of this information I've acquired through the years and how you can best target and catch certain species by design.

ASHMOOR PERCH

Ashmoor Lakes is a mixed coarse fishery packed with many wonderful species, like in most coarse fisheries, these fish breed very well and every season we are blessed with more and more fish added to the stock naturally. However, the lakes would be even more full of fish than they are without predators to help thin them out, take out the weak and diseased in individuals and keep numbers in check. This job in Ashmoor Lakes predominantly falls to the Perch population that resides here.

Fishing for Perch has become more and more popular again over the past 10 years or so, and a good job too as they are wonderful fish.

When Ashmoor Lakes was first dug and stocked, Perch were one of the first species introduced into it, though we didn't know so for many years as it was fished with primarily bread and sweetcorn for the more visible Rudd population. As maggots were first hooked onto the hooks and sent down to the depths, the Perch started to make themselves known. Over generations and generations of Perch some of them have grown very impressive in size, exceeding 2llb in weight, though we have no real idea how big some of the individuals are as they are not often fished for, or more commonly, the bait used to target the Perch are eaten by other fish first, particularly the overly plentiful Carp. 

I have absolutely no doubt at all that some of the Perch in Ashmoor Lakes exceed the magical 3lb mark. It's just a matter of catching them.

Most anglers at Ashmoor catch the Perch here in their smaller sizes, using maggots or worms when mixed coarse fishing the fishery.

It is worth noting that the Perch are not the only predatory species eating the smaller fish in Ashmoor Lakes, the lakes also hold Chub, though few in number, who also chase small fry in the margins. The Ashmoor Carp too are actually surprisingly predatory and will often suck up a small fish to eat when given a chance.

A decent Ashmoor Perch

LOCATION

Perch are found throughout all 3 lakes at Ashmoor, so wherever you fish, you will find them. Not only that, but it doesn't even matter which lake you fish on, as surprisingly to some, the lakes are all joined together. Beneath the ground joining Lake 1 to Lake 2, and Lake 2 to Lake 3 are two large pipes, allowing water and fish to pass through between them.

The main reason for this is so that when the lakes are topped up with water from a water holding pond in the summer when the water levels drop, the water flows evenly between them. But it also provides a channel between all the lakes that Perch regularly use to travel between and feed in different ponds.

The Perch in Ashmoor travels sound in small schools to prey on small fishes. The schools tend to be composed of similar sized fish, so if you do locate some bigger Perch, chances are that more similar sized ones will follow if they are not spooked. However, there are those odd rogue ones that will be found on their own, skulking in a particular area, and these tend to be the biggest of them.

The Perch will more often be found around a feature such as lilies, or around the margins. Overhanging trees and bushes are also good spots where the Perch can ambush their prey from.

Don’t forget, that even the plainest marginal swim could be a feature, as with the movement of the Ashmoor Carp, many of the banks are quite undercut and perfect paces for Perch to hide.

TIME

Perch can be caught all year round. Dawn and dusk are the best times for them, as the low light conditions are their favoured times to feed. By far the best time of the year to get a decent Perch, is during the Winter, when the bigger bullying Carp become more dormant and less likely to get the bait first, and when the smaller prey fish ball up.

Plenty of Wasps

METHODS

At any time of the year the Perch can be caught on most methods.

Float fishing is the more common and popular method, being the most visible and adaptable way of getting to the fish. A float can be easily cast about the swim, or placed if using a pole, and the water can be searched very easily for any Perch in residence. When doing this, it is important, before bringing the float in, to move the float a little first across the swim. Any Perch that may have been mulling over eating your bait, will soon do so when they think it is going to get away!

Feeder fishing too will bring Perch into your swim. By casting out worm based groundbaits, all the species of fishes will come to your bait, and the Perch will come to investigate too. Again, try moving the hookbait a little before bringing the rigs in to get a Perch to follow.

Lure fishing would be a great way to target the Perch at Ashmoor, but it is banned. The close quarters of the swims means disturbing other anglers, and there are many chances of foul hooking other species as the lakes are so well stocked. So hard luck. But you can jig a hooked worm with a bit of split shot on the line in the margins easily enough if you want to mimic a lure.

Ideally with the Perch fishing you would be wanting to use 2-3lb line for them or lighter, but owing to the very good chance double figure Carp will also be eating the bait you put out there, it can be very tricky whether to decide to fish light and hope the hook length breaks or you manage to play a 15lb Carp in on 2lb line, or more sensibly fish a little heavier than you would like, using 4-5lb line, though this may impede the catch rate of the Perch.

This is the reason that Perch fishing in the Winter is best at Ashmoor, as the big Carp become more dormant, and therefore less likely to be a hindrance so the lighter lines can be used. I’ll still personally use the 4lb line though, with a 3lb hooklength and my method is mentioned below.

BAIT

The most important thing to remember with Ashmoor Lakes, just in general, is that it's a farm venue. As many anglers in the know will tell you, farm ponds tend to be a bit trickier to catch from. This is due to the quantity of natural bait that is around for the fish to feed on, not only under water, but also flying or blown in from crops in fields nearby, and as Ashmoor is set in surrounding woodland also, plenty of food comes down from the trees as well. Because of this, natural baits tend to be the way of things to catch fish easier.

This is perfect of course for Perch fishing, as Perch predate on natural foods anyway. They will be looking for small fish, worms, maggots, invertebrates, tadpoles, small frogs and all manner of living things over pellets, sweetcorn, boilies and bread.

Maggots by far outshine all other Perch baits if its bites and quantity of Perch you are after, followed closely by worms. Though I have caught all my biggest Ashmoor Perch on single red maggots and with perseverance.  

Maggots and chopped worms sprinkled into a swim, little and often, will get the Perch in to investigate throughout the day, though obviously it will bring in the other species too. Not that this is an issue if the silver fish move in, as Perch will be following them too, hoping to make a meal of them.

The King of all Perch Baits

THE BEST WAY TO CATCH

Having discussed the methods to catch Perch at Ashmoor Lakes, I’m going to tell you how I do it, and I genuinely think it's the best way of selecting the bigger Perch, if they are indeed present at the time AND avoiding the nuisance Carp.

First things first, as mentioned previously, fish in Winter. Get there on those really cold days, the colder the better. The colder it is, the less likely you are to catch endless Carp all day. Put the thermals on, and bring the thermos of hot chocolate.

Winter isn't only best because of this, but also because the short daylight hours means you can easily catch the dawn and dusk prime times for catching Perch. 90% of all the decent Ashmoor Perch I have caught have come at these times. Winter also gives mostly overcast daytimes, which the Perch also prefer.

Next, I use a quiver tip. A nice light one so you can see the bites. I use 4lb line on the reel, and 3lb line on the hooklength, usually Drennan Double strength, as you get the strength but also the low line diameter. Just personal preference. 

On a bead stop a sliding leger of 1oz will be put, and a size 10 hook will be at the end of it all. A very simple rig, but also very effective. Flat leads are best, as the bottom of Ashmoor is quite silty and a flatted weight prevents it sinking into the silt, to some degree.

With a simple rig, if you lose it casting into a Perch snag, you don't risk losing a lot of kit, and it also gives less stuff on the bottom to spook the fish.

For bait, I will leave the maggots and worms at home...though that's not entirely true, as I rarely go anywhere without a few worms. But on the hook will go a lovely, juicy cooked, peeled prawn. The Perch at Ashmoor adores prawns, and the bigger ones particularly so.

I'll pick a swim with a decent margin, over hanging tree, or lily bed (which of course will have died down in Winter, but popping down in summer and taking note of where they are is the key here) and scatter chopped prawn over the area, not being too fussy about getting a tight baiting area.

The idea is to get the Perch searching the area to pick up the morsels, and you can cast around the area to find them looking. Don't leave the bait in the same spot for more than 20 minutes, and never forget to give the bait a bit of a twitch before reeling in to recast.

Sometimes when targeting Perch at Ashmoor, I will literally turn up for the last 2 hours of the day, foregoing the whole day session, as these really are the best times.

Of course, I'll pay keen attention to anglers leaving the fishery and where they have been casting and baiting all day, and scoop into their swim when they are gone, reaping the rewards that they have left behind.

A Winter Brace