Are Redfin a pest or a viable target species? The European Perch, Redfin, reddies, freshwater whiting, or as the more scientific minded anglers would know, Perca Fluviatilis. Whatever you call this species, you might be asking yourself, are they a pest in our freshwater systems or are they a well sought after target species? I guess that depends on who you ask.
Being introduced to Australian waterways back in the 1860’s, it is well known how much damage these predators can do to the populations of our beloved native fish. Redfin are an aggressive feeder and will gobble up just about anything, which definitely helps us anglers with what we can use to target them, including their own kind. Redfin’s aggressive nature unfortunately wreaks havoc on our native fish populations which is why this species falls into the ‘pest’ category.
Redfin are found in most waterways in the southern part of Australia, but can also be found as far north as NSW, and as far inland as the ACT. Redfin are found anywhere from slower flowing rivers and streams, to lakes, ponds and even stormwater systems. These hardy fish can deal with most water conditions, and I have been surprised to find them in some of the strangest places.
Being a pest fish, I definitely do not mind taking a few Redfin out of the systems for a feed, albeit out of the cleaner waterways. I will tell you what, these are one of the most deliciously tasting species in Australia – they are not called freshwater whiting for just any reason.
Redfin can range anywhere from a couple of inches long to a trophy size of 50cm, and sometimes bigger. There is one catch – when there is an abundance of Redfin in a system, you will find that the average size of fish caught is a lot smaller. I am not entirely sure why this is, but my guess would be competition amongst the Redfin population. Finding the larger models can sometimes take a lot of work for this reason. Time on the water will see you eventually weed out the smaller models and help you secure a true trophy sized fish.
With a large protruding mouth, gorgeous vibrant red pectoral fins, and photogenic colours, how can these not be a great target species?
Now onto the fun side of it all. The Fishing. From bait, to lures, these greedy fish will take just about any offerings. During a hot bite, I have even messed around and caught Redfin on squid jigs, proving they will just about eat anything. From how easy they can be to catch; they make a great target for getting the younger generation into fishing. Redfin are more often than not an easy fish to catch so the kids will not get bored while wetting a line. Redfin are a sure great way to introduce kids to lure fishing.
When I am targeting Redfin, I usually arm myself with light gear. A 1-3kg or 2-4kg rod with a 1000 to 2500 sized reel and 4-8lb mainline will get the job done. I upgrade my mainline depending on the structure – heavier structure will see me upsize my mainline, so I do not lose as many lures to snags.
Redfin will sit very close to the bank in amongst the reeds, as well as sit in amongst lay downs, spindly snags, and weed beds. As such, it is best to focus your angling pursuits here. Reddies will also school up, so if you find one, no doubt there will be a few in the area which can make for great sessions and you can land cricket scores of fish.
I am not a bait fisho, so the lures I am usually throwing are small plastics, jerk baits, spinnerbaits around the 1/4-ounce mark, trout spinners, and I will even bring the fly rod out once in a while, with streamer and shrimp fly patterns being a standout favourite. Funnily enough, Redfin can also be a topwater target, especially in the shallower ponds and rivers.
Redfin Lure Recommendations:
My top three lure recommendations to throw at redfin in different situations would be:
1. The Daiwa Double Clutch 60mm or 75mm in whatever colour suits the water. I use the Daiwa Double Clutch over weed beds and in the bays of lakes, either slow rolling them or getting them to depth and using a twitch pause retrieve.
2. 1/4oz spinnerbaits – I tend to lean towards Spin Wright Lures here, just because the owner of Spin Wright Lures is a Victorian fella who is making some amazing lures and I really want to support local business. I am usually throwing spinnerbaits in the lakes amongst heavy timber and parallel with the reeds.
3. The humble soft plastic. Anything ranging from 2.5 inches to 3.2 inches will work here. Any brand, and profile will be sure to get the nibs. These lures are way too versatile and cheap not to be a standout choice. Weedless, standard, jig spinners – you name it, it all works. Soft plastics will usually be my last resort after I might have lost a few expensive lures to snags because using a cheaper lure is not as disheartening to lose. You can fish soft plastics on a slow roll or with a hop style retrieve. Anything works. Focus on the retrieval style that is getting the bites on the day. I do find red, green, and chartreuse, are the better colours to use because they attract quite a bit of attention for me.
If you want more information on lure and soft plastic retrieval techniques, check out our blog post titled "The Beginners Guide To Soft Plastics, Lures, and Retrievals".
Most techniques work when targeting reddies – from hopping plastics, slow rolling hard body lures and soft plastics, to getting reaction bites in snags while using spinners and weedless lures. During a hot bite, you are sure to pull a few in.
Although the fight of a Redfin is not as great as our native species, the hit is usually short, sharp, and aggressive. More often than not, the hit will come right at your feet. Often referred to as a wet sock during the fight, there will be the odd fish that will actually pull some string and test your light gear and that is why I enjoy throwing the fly wand at them, which I do just to have a bit more sport about the catch.
Summing Up:
So, are Redfin a pest or a viable target species? Redfin are undoubtedly a pest, but in saying that, they are most definitely a species that deserve a bit of love from anglers too, even if it is just to get more out of the waterways. You cannot deny how good they taste, and in Victoria, they have become a be-loved species to target purely on that notion. Let's face it, we all love our natives, and catch and release fishing has become a huge component of sport fishing, but we all love a feed from time to time, and so targeting Redfin is one way to reap the rewards of the sport we love. Reddies will undoubtedly never be eradicated from our waterways, so let us get out there and have fun with them.
Written by Simon Kindred – Insta: sillystringfling
Edited by Adam Taylor (The Finatic Blogger)
The Finatic Blogger...
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