Most people who head west to an impoundment are chasing Murray cod. On this episode of The Everyday Angler, I turned my sights to a smaller, but super special, native: the golden perch, or yellowbelly. I linked up with my mate Russell, a pro team angler for Berkley and Abu Garcia, and we hit the dirt road out to Copeton Dam near Inverell. It's about six hours from Sydney and a hotspot for anyone keen on Australian natives.
Here's the thing: neither of us really knew how to catch them in a place like Copeton. Russell grew up on the bream scene and made his name on big flathead and mulloway. I've caught plenty of yellas in the Darling and the Murray, but not out on a big, intimidating dam. Over a day and a half we struggled, figured it out, and ended up with Russell's biggest-ever yellowbelly and a cracking morning session.
If you've never targeted natives, this is a great place to start. Here's when to fish, how we found them, what we threw and how we got them to eat.
Quick Links
When to Fish: Chase the Bite Windows
Like all natives, yellowbelly can be timid and shy, and you can go mad trying to catch them. Timing does a lot of the heavy lifting.
Fish the edges of the day. Early morning and late afternoon were our money times. Our first afternoon was slow for an hour or two. Then the wind changed, the pressure started to rise, and Russell landed the biggest yellowbelly he's ever caught.
Watch the barometer. On day one the pressure was falling and the fish were following lures without committing. Day two dawned with blue skies, no wind and rising pressure, and we were on the board by the third cast. The fish were also sitting higher in the water column, which is usually a sign they're active.
Capitalise when it's on. When you find them feeding, stop talking and start fishing. That bite window might only last an hour.
Finding Fish: Timber, Depth and Live Sonar
Golden perch are ambush predators. Their dark backs and golden bellies camouflage them perfectly against sandstone and timber, where they pick off small crustaceans and grubs. At Copeton, that means fishing the standing trees and timbered banks. On our best morning, we sat on a tree in about 20 metres of water.
On this trip we ran Lowrance's new ActiveTarget 2 XL live sonar. Think of it like an ultrasound. It gives you a wide, real-time view under the boat, and you can switch between Forward, Down and Scout modes right from the screen. You don't need live sonar to catch yellas, and we didn't use it the whole trip. But on a huge dam full of timber, it's a big advantage. You can see individual fish sitting at the base of a tree, drop your lure to them, and watch how they react.
Without live sonar, the same principles apply: work the timber, change depths through the day, and keep moving until you find active fish.
The Lures: Small, Scented and Subtle
For a fish with a big mouth, the lures that catch yellowbelly are tiny. We were fishing the smallest grubs you can find on the shelves at BCF, rigged on light jig heads. This is finesse fishing at its finest.
Use scented plastics. Walk down the soft plastic aisle and you'll notice two styles: plastics with juice in them, like Berkley Gulp, and standard plastics you can keep in a stowaway box. For natives, scent is a big advantage. These fish aren't reaction-biting from a snag – they turn, follow, and sometimes track a lure for five metres or more. A scent trail coming off a little curly tail, tickling their nose, can be what seals the deal. Golden perch have taste buds on the inside and outside of their mouths.
Keep your scented plastics wet. Don't open a packet and leave it in your bag to dry out. Use a tub with the juice in it, like the Gulp Alive containers. Grab one out, rig it, and when it gets chewed up, grab another.
Mix up your profiles. Russell ran a range of creature baits, from yabby imitations to narrow little paddle tails. The black minnow grub is probably the most-used yellowbelly plastic going, and it always works.
Add a stinger for short strikes. On day one we had a few false strikes. Russell's fix was to tie a short length of light braid to the jig head with a small treble on the back. If a fish lips the tail instead of eating the whole thing, it gets pinned on the treble.
The Technique: Lead the Fish, Then Slow Roll
It's a cat-and-mouse game, similar to barra or cod. Golden perch have eyes on top of their heads, so they're generally looking up for food.
Get the depth right. Cast past the fish and watch the sink rate. You don't need to drop it to the bottom, just into their eyesight.
Lead them. Make sure the lure crosses in front of the fish, not behind it.
Watch for the turn. As soon as the fish reacts, start pulling the lure away from it. That turn is the best feeling in fishing, because you know there's interest.
Wind slower than you think. Once the fish is following, slow roll it. Russell's big fish ate a lure being wound so slowly it barely moved. Resist the urge to hop or double-hop it like you would for flathead. The curly tail does the work, and the scent disperses behind it.
Be patient on the eat. The bite can be really timid, almost like the fish is licking the lure. Keep twitching on the spot until it commits.
The Gear: Your Light Estuary Outfit Will Do
You don't need anything fancy. If you've got a bream or light estuary setup, you're ready to chase yellowbelly. We fished a 2–4kg spin rod on a 2000-size spinning reel, with 6lb braid and a 6lb leader. Pair that with a handful of scented grubs, minnow grubs, yabby imitations and small paddle tails, and you're set.
The big lesson is jig head weight: change it as the fish move. Yellowbelly travel through the water column during the day. On our second morning they were deeper, so we started with 1/8oz and 1/6oz heads. By midday they'd pushed right up shallow, and we went all the way down to a 1/24oz. No two days are the same, so carry a range of weights.
Handling Your Catch
Yellowbelly grow fat rather than long. Through the shoulders they get so wide they're nicknamed footballs. A big one is a special native fish, so handle it quickly, support its weight, and get it straight back in the water. Every fish we caught on this trip swam away healthy. Check your state's size and bag limits for golden perch before you head out.
If you've never targeted natives, I encourage you to give it a go. Even our cameraman got in on the action – he had one cast all day, when the light got too low to film, and hooked a Murray cod stalking the shallows.
Your Golden Perch Checklist
Keen to give today's adventure a go? Stock up in store at BCF by screenshotting the products we used in today's episode, or head to bcf.com.au.