Perch (Perca fluviatilis)

Perch are a Genus of the Percidae or True Perches belonging to the Family Perciformes of the sub-order Percoidei.

Perch live in both still and flowing waters and are also found in brackish water. Perch normally form shoals when they are young but later become solitary. Perch are predators.

The body is tall, and moderately elongated, with only slight lateral flattening. Their scales are small and combed. They have a snub nosed head and the jaws are protrusible. They have many uniformly shaped teeth. The back of the operculum extends into a strong spine, and the lateral line is complete. Perch have two distinctive Dorsal fins, the forward one having all hard rays (very sharp!), and a black blotch on its rear end. There is a slight inward curve to the end of the caudal fin. Scales are ctenoid.

Perch have a grey-blue or black-grey dorsal surface with green-yellow flanks with a bluish iridescence and 6 to 9 dark transverse bands. The ventral surface is fairly pale. The Caudal fin is yellowish-green to orange-red, the Pelvic and Anal fins orange to brick-red and the Pectorals clay-yellow. Local conditions may alter these colours but the Perch remains truly distinctive.

Fished for with small live baits, worms, maggots etc. and with artificial lures, small spinners for example. A Perch take of a moving bait is typical predator, bite first, ask questions later, but when worm fishing they are capable of carefully lifting the worm and slicing bits off it until only the small section left on the hook remains, at which point it comes to the top, blows you a raspberry and vanishes!

The British record weight for a rod-caught Perch is 5lb 9oz 8dr. The Association record is 3lb 9oz 0dr, which represent a healthy 63% of the record. This was caught by S. Cripps upstream of Ironbridge in the 2001/2 season. Perch over 2lb can be registered as a Association specimen.

02/03/2008