Want to flip a coin with a fishing session? Are you prepared to donut? Catch huge numbers of fish? Catch a couple of large specimens? Are you willing to either cry or be extremely happy after a session? If you answered ‘yes’ to most of those questions, then I have the species for you – the Estuary Perch. If you are on the lower eastern side of Australia, you will find these brutes anywhere and everywhere, from CBD docks, marina pontoons, estuaries, drains, rivers, and freshwater lakes.
Estuary Perch (Macquaria colonorum), EP's, Perch, or as I like to call them - Elvis Presley (named after the King himself). No matter what you call them, the Estuary Perch are a cryptic species which reside along the majority of the East coast of Australia, from Southwest Victoria on the Nelson River, to as far up as the Richmond River in NSW.
I have heard a few quiet words amongst my fishing circles that these fish are further up the coast, but that is for you to figure out. The anglers who chase Estuary Perch are sometimes even more secretive than the average Australian Bass fisho, and for good reason. These fish hit hard when you can find them.
The Estuary Perch is such a revered fish, that the VFA (Victorian Fisheries Authority) have started stocking them in a number of lakes throughout Victoria. This has been a huge achievement and funded largely by the licensing fees paid by recreational anglers. This is just one reason why we should not baulk at the cost of our recreational fishing fees.
Largely an estuarine species. Estuary Perch inhabit the saline reaches of estuary systems but also often push right up into the fresh as well. Although the EP needs the saltwater to do their thing and breed, they can most definitely thrive further up systems in the freshwater.
"Estuary Perch inhabit the saline reaches of estuary systems but also often push right up into the fresh".
It is easy to confuse the Estuary Perch with the Australian Bass. EP's usually have a deeper body, a concaved head, oblique protruding mouth with an extremely large gape which extends down to or beyond the eye level of the fish. With such a large mouth, these fish can eat extremely large prey, which is handy information for anglers to know, but I will get into that later.
"EP's usually have a deeper body, a concaved head, oblique protruding mouth with an extremely large gape which extends down to or beyond the eye level of the fish."
With such minor differences between the two species, it is very hard to tell the difference between them. Sometimes the Estuary Perch and the Australian Bass can even reside in the same systems, making differentiating the two, an even more challenging task. The Estuary Perch and Australian Bass can breed together and create a hybrid species – this in itself, is very intriguing and if you are interested, the science on this topic is well worth a read if you choose to go down that path.
Estuary Perch usually spawn closer to the front of our estuarine systems when the water temperature hits anywhere between 15° and 19°, but usually the latter. This time of year, you'll find them sitting deep in large schools and that is when I will throw a vibe or a bladed style lure. As boring as it can be, "tea bagging" is a very productive way to target EP’s.
NSW has a closed Estuary Perch season and Victoria does not. Even though in Melbourne where I'm from, I tend not to target EP’s while they are in their vulnerable breeding state. The VFA stock EP’s in many lakes so if you need to scratch that EP itch during their breeding months, it's better to target them in the lakes and let the wild ones get their jiggy on.
"NSW has a closed Estuary Perch season and Victoria does not ... so if you need to scratch that EP itch during their breeding months, it's better to target them in the lakes and let the wild ones get their jiggy on."
Now to the fishing. The fun part, or sometimes, the not so fun part. As I said earlier, these fish are very cryptic and can either make or break a fishing session. I have always found EP’s will follow the tide in tidal systems, or they will school up or sometimes there will even be lone fish. I have fished systems where I will catch high numbers of EP’s and some quality fish up into the high 40s and close to, but not quite the half meter mark. On the other hand, some days you will be out all day to catch one or two little dinks, and if you are not so lucky, you will be coming home licking glazed donut crumbs off your fingertips – having caught nothing.
Diet And Fighting Ability:
The diet of EPs consists of smaller baitfish from mullet, hardy heads, sprats, and in the systems I fish, glassies (whitebait) and small freshwater species up in the further reaches of the fresh like gudgeon and small redfin. It does not stop there though, these greedy critters are also very partial to a shrimp, yabbies or nippers, and small crustaceans. The more interesting things they eat are terrestrials. Terrestrial prey items EP’s commonly feed on are insects like cicadas and moths who are unlucky enough to fall on the surface of the water, small lizards and snakes, and even some larger prey, like mice and rikali (a native water rat). I don't know about you, but the terrestrial prey is what excites me about this species because who doesn't love catching fish on topwater?
"I don't know about you, but the terrestrial prey is what excites me about this species because who doesn't love catching fish on topwater?"
With such big mouth’s, EP’s will hit their prey on the return of a carve, much like a mangrove jack. That means, the fish will already be turning and heading back to structure when they take your lure into their mouth – making them one dirty fighter. So, if you hook up, you know damn well the fish will be running back to structure. I have been dusted one too many times from wild breed estuary perch because I find wild breed fish pull some serious string. For some reason, stocked fish seem to be somewhat lazy in their fighting capabilities comparatively.
I have found when a perch hits a lure and the lure jams the fish’s mouth open, they can fight like a wet sock, but if you find one that runs back home with a lure neatly in its mouth, then you will be in for a bit of a grind where sometimes, you might not win the battle. It has been said, the strength of the estuary perch on a good day, is akin to the iconic Barramundi. I would not be surprised if a good fighting estuary perch, pound for pound, could pull a barramundi backwards.
"I would not be surprised if a good fighting estuary perch, pound for pound, could pull a barramundi backwards."
Where To Target EP’s:
Where do we target these brutes? Well that is a very loaded question because they will hide anywhere. Sitting in a school in the reeds with their noses out waiting for an easy feed, or one or two will sit on a single spindly stick. They will also sit under pontoons in marinas and often be out on the flats in the dead of night. I usually target the pressure points of structure first and work my way back to the eddies. Eddies are a viable area to hopefully tangle with an EP because as the food chain goes by, the larger fish will sit at the front of the school and ambush their target prey.
Shade and shadows are your friend when targeting EP’s. With such a large eye made for nocturnal feeding, they are very sensitive to light. Overcast days are the better option and a bit of wind disturbing the surface is also a handy thing to have. Learn to skip cast your lures deep under moorings, snags, undercut banks, and into structure. During the day you'll have a tough time trying to get that stray one out in the open, but when darkness falls, you're in their world. Darkness is when the perch will come out and play and they will be sitting higher up in the water column, giving you many chances to tangle with one.
"Shade and shadows are your friend when targeting EP’s. With such a large eye made for nocturnal feeding, they are very sensitive to light."
What Lures To Use When Targeting EP’s:
Perch are a strange species. You will have bite windows where you will catch fish cast for cast for 20 minutes and then it will go dead, and you will not be able to convince even one to eat. So with that in mind, it is essential to know what lures and tackle to use when targeting them.
What lures am I throwing for Estuary Perch? The choices are endless but not guaranteed. I have thrown everything from 1/30 jig heads rigged with 1-inch plastics, to full sized Jackall Pompadours. As I said, EP’s have a huge mouth and have no fear or any troubles for that matter, eating something quite large. In saying that, I love three certain lures.
"EP’s have a huge mouth and have no fear or any troubles for that matter, eating something quite large."
1. A suspending jerk bait. A jerk bait anywhere from 60mm to 100mm is EP dynamite. There is a catch here (pun intended) – I run assist hooks on the back of the lure instead of trebles. With that carving attack style strike, you will find the lure is either eaten headfirst or they will miss it. When running assist hooks, if the EP’s miss the front treble, they will often be hooked on the assist hooks trailing off the back of the lure, making this a near foolproof system. Usually, I throw suspended jerk baits on the flats, or I will even throw them deep into the sticks of tight structure.
2. Glide baits. Not only are perch fun to catch on glide baits, but they work wonders. When the bite is slow, these lures are my favourite. Use a slower retrieve and you will feel the swiping thud of an EP all too soon. The Shimano Bantam BT is definitely a favourite here, but it is pricey. Fish Craft make an affordable alternative being the Dr Glide which comes in a 70mm option. I usually use glide baits in lakes over weed beds.
3. Surface lures. Who doesn't love a surface eat? Your options are endless here. Perch do most of their feeding at night due to their very good night vision. This will not come as surprise when you see the size of their eyes. On a warm balmy night, you will constantly hear boofs giving away an EP’s location. When it comes to surface lures, we recommend throwing bent minnows, cicadas, and my favourite, the 90mm Bassday SugaPen. When fishing the SugaPen, cast it out there, wait for the rings to dissipate, and if you have not already been hit, walk the lure back for a few seconds before pausing, and repeating. It will not take long to get hit. When you do get a hit, be sure to be quick on the wind, or else a dusting may be the end result.
Rods, Reels, And Leader To Use When Targeting EP’s:
The rods and reels I use to target Estuary Perch really depend on the situation. I have always got three or four setups in the car just in case the conditions call for variation. If I am fishing light plastics and small hard bodies in the CBD, I will usually arm myself with a 1-3kg rod paired with a 2000 spinning reel which has some 6lb mainline. Where I know there are bigger fish, I will find the balance between a rod in the 2-4kg or 2-5kg range, which I will pair with a 2500 sized spinning reel spooled with 8lb mainline. Last but not least, in heavy timbered areas where I wade the rivers, I will be targeting fish in heavy timber, reeds, and structure, so I will throw lures on a 2-5kg baitcaster with a 100 sized reel and 12lb mainline. When fishing with my baitcaster, I am throwing my lure offerings deep into structure, and let’s face it, we all want to get our expensive lures back, so I find a heavier leader and rod is a bit more forgiving to my bank account.
I find EP’s to be an ambush predator and often you will get a reactionary bite from them. They will sit in tight to structure and have a good taste of anything they fancy as it swims past, so I typically run a leader suited to the conditions, anywhere from 8lb to 12lb fluorocarbon. Perch are fun on ultra-light gear, whereas on the heavier setups, you can usually use the extra pulling power to muscle them out of tight cover and structure. Whatever you are using, the Estuary Perch will still try to dust you up. Most of the time, Estuary Perch are not very leader shy. Even the small specimens are capable of giving you a good dusting, so bare that in mind and do not go too light.
"Estuary Perch are not very leader shy. Even the small specimens are capable of giving you a good dusting, so bare that in mind and do not go too light."
Closing Remarks:
If the bass are not playing the game, and perch are in your area, they can be one hell of a species to target so get out there and tackle them. Anywhere holding a population of bream, will likely also be holding Estuary Perch, so get out there, try something new, and I hope you can crack a few.
Estuary Perch are a super fun species that deserves a lot of love, but some days they will not love you back, so approach this species with some patience and you will work them out.
The Estuary Perch is a species deserving of the same love and admiration of their long-lost cousin, the mighty Aussie Bass, but in my circles, the Estuary Perch, is the king of the estuaries for a reason. They rock, and they roll, just like the king himself.
Written by Simon Kindred – Insta: sillystringfling
Edited by Adam Taylor (The Finatic Blogger)
The Finatic Blogger...
Appreciate the effort gone into this one lads.
Very well written insight on how to target the elusive ep. I find they are harder then jewies!