What are the best spinners for perch? Now there’s a question. A perch, as we know is a hard-fighting freshwater predator that thrives on baitfish. For this reason, spinner fishing can be an awesome way of catching them.
A spinner basically mimics a baitfish as you pull it through the water. They are usually made up of a hook, quite often a treble, a wire through stem, with beads that make the body, and a wire loop at the top with a swivel attached. There are several ways of using a spinner to enhance your chance of banking a good-sized perch.
Including choosing the right colour on the day, the retrieve, and the size. These are all factors that I look at whilst out fishing for perch. I will look closer at this later in the article.
With so many spinners available nowadays is there any that stand out from the rest? Well for me anyway I would say yes there is. Two brands of spinners really stand out above the rest in my eyes. The Mepps and the mighty Ondex. These two brands of spinner really do seem to catch fish when other spinners can struggle. A lot of lure anglers also share my view on this.
The Mepps Spinner
This is definitely one of the best spinners for perch! Mepps come in quite a few styles but the one for me is the Mepps Aglia.
The blade on the Aglia is angled at 60 degrees making it a spinner that can have good action using a slow retrieve. This can be extremely helpful in the colder months when you need to retrieve slowly. The fish are less energetic in the cold and so don’t want to use all their energy chasing prey at speed.
On the other hand, if you retrieve the spinner at a faster pace you can fish the lure higher up in the water. This is useful in the warmer months when the fish are more energetic. Also, the water temperature has risen so the fish come up in the water a bit.
The flash off these spinners and the vibrations that are given off really tend to get the perch going. Never go spinning without a Mepps in your tackle box.
The Ondex Spinner
The Ondex is my Joint favourite spinner for perch without a doubt. These spinners are another lure that just keeps giving.
Ondex has a range of slow rotating spinners. They are decorated in a style that perch just seem to find irresistible. I find these to be ideal in lakes and slow-moving rivers. Because of the slow-moving blades, you can fish these perfectly in shallower waters with ease.
Not only do perch love the movement of the Ondex but trout anglers will often have a few of these in their tackle boxes as well.
The Ondex is available in sizes from two up to size six. Two is the smallest and 6 being the largest.
Perch will pretty much take all sizes, but I personally only use the smaller sizes while out perch fishing. Be careful of those toothy critters out there though because pike are also quite partial to an Ondex lure.
Are There Other Spinners for Perch Worth Mentioning?
Obviously, Mepps and Ondex aren’t the only two brands of spinners on the market. There are literally thousands to choose from. Abu Garcia is another brand that has got some real good spinners under their belt. And are a good reputable company to deal with. Others include Rapala, Daiwa, and Savage Gear just to name a few.
There are plenty of cheap Chinese imitations around today. Personally, I would generally steer clear of these. They won’t be made to as good a standard as the brands I have mentioned. This includes the hooks that are likely to straighten out, snap or rust easily.
Should I Use a Wire Trace Whilst Spinning for Perch?
Wire traces are a bit of a grey area when spinning for perch. Some anglers swear by them if there is the presence of fish such as pike or zander. Others don’t seem too bothered by it and take their chances.
Because of the lighter tackle used for targeting perch, a wire trace sometimes interferes with the action of the spinner. I personally don’t like using one. To get over this I tend to use a fluorocarbon leader instead.
Fluoro is a kind of fishing line that is a lot stiffer than mono, and a lot more subtle than a wire trace. Pike find it a bit harder to bite through than standard fishing line and is a good option for spinning for perch.
Will These Spinners Catch Other Fish As Well?
If there are other predators in the venue that you are spinning at, then yes you have a very good chance of catching other species of fish. As mentioned earlier pike and zander are definitely prime candidates for taking a spinnerbait.
Trout are also very keen on smashing a spinner if you are lucky enough to fish somewhere that has them. Although chub aren’t often targeted with spinners these can provide great sport on light spinning gear as well.
Other fish such as carp and bream do occasionally fall to a small spinner, but they are very few and far between.
To Conclude
Perch fishing with spinners can be a fast and furious way of catching fish. You don’t have to use Mepps or Ondex to catch perch, but believe me, they are worth having a go with. If the fish aren’t biting on the day, swap your lures around and vary your retrieve until you work out what they want. Find out what the best spinners for perch are at your local venue and go catch some fish.
Tight lines and enjoy your fishing.
