September not only marks the beginning of spring but also where we switch our attention from Murray Cod to their best mates, the Golden Perch.

Luckily for us anglers, spring is by far the best time to target Golden Perch and below are our top tips to help you out this spring.

LURE SIZE – LESS IS MORE

Using small lures will increase your catch rate. Yes, they’ll smash a big cod lure happily, but during this time of year, they’re emerging from hibernation and will eat what they naturally find around them. Think small insects, fish, yabby’s and shrimp. For lures, think;

• 1/2oz or 3/8oz Spinnerbaits – smaller blades and small soft plastic tails
• 50-70mm Hard Body lures – slimmer profiles work well on perch and also produce a more positive hook-up
• 60-80mm Weedless Soft Plastics – the best plastics are yabby or shrimp imitations

RETRIEVE SPEED

This is arguably the most important factor for targeting Golden Perch. Most the time, you’ll want to be running with a slow roll with lots of pauses. This early on in the season, the fish will be sluggish, so you need to give them time to look at your lure.

If you find the slow roll isn’t yielding any results, add some speed to the retrieve with a quick flick of the rod tip or a quick burn of the lure to get the attention of the fish nearby.

LAST HOUR OF LIGHT

Golden hour doesn’t just get its name from the sunset! It is certainly the best bite period of the day. As the days become more sunny, the water temperature will always be at its warmest at last light.

WATER TEMPERATURE

Water temperature is one of the best indicators as to whether the fish are biting or not. Golden Perch are like the three bears. If its not ‘just right’ they’re less likely to come to play.

When the water hits 14 degrees the fish will be starting to feed and can be caught. What you really want is temperatures between 16-18 degrees. The fish will be super active at these temperatures.