Welcome to the “How to Catch Yellowbelly with Soft Plastics and Lures” article from FishingMad. As the stocking of yellowbelly increases, so has my passion to target them. These magnificent native fish have become a go to species for many. With literally millions of yellowbelly stocked in waters around Melbourne, Victoria, they are flourishing and more accessible than ever before. I have dedicated a lot of time to targeting yellowbelly (golden perch) with soft plastics and lures, and have learned many key techniques and strategies that help immensely in catching them consistently.
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Techniques to catch Yellowbelly
I have caught hundreds of yellowbelly without the need for fancy technology; however, by using Active Target or Live scope in recent years, it has completely changed the way I target these fish. Being able to watch their behaviours in real time and see how they respond to lures and soft plastics has taught me so much, allowed me to tweak my techniques, and has improved catch rates dramatically.
Slow roll is key. For those who don’t know, slow roll simply means a constant, slow winding of the fishing reel. The traditional method, which I and many have used for many years of lifts and pauses, often spooks them or stops them from committing. Yellowbelly will often follow lures as they sink, then follow them all the way up again as they are retrieved. I have noticed on countless occasions when they follow a soft plastic or lure that’s being slow rolled, as soon as you stop or pause, they often turn away. Now, when they are switched on, they will often smash the lure on the bottom, or as you start your slow roll, however, you will have days where they follow it all the way to the surface before committing.
They prefer the soft plastic or lure to be worked slowly. This also highlights why trolling lures can be so effective for yellowbelly. The constant swimming action, without the pauses and lifts, is what entices them to strike. Seeing this has completely changed my retrieval techniques, and my catch rates have improved dramatically. Subtle adjustments and following those 1%s can make all the difference in fishing.
Watch as Al targets yellowbelly at Lake Eppalock
Fishing Gear to catch Yellowbelly
I prefer targeting yellowbelly with a light 2-5kg spin rod paired with a 2500-size reel and 12lb braid. I prefer a slightly shorter length rod, such as 6”8. This is light enough to cast all day but heavy enough to control big yellowbelly even in thick structure. Its easy to work with and generally, allows you to cast jig heads to ½ ounce and lures to about 15 grams. I also like targeting yellowbelly with a ML baitcast and 2000 size baitcast reel again spooled with 10-15lb braid. These will often allow you to work bigger and heavier lures and vertically drop right on top of structure. This will allow you to chop and change between soft plastics and lures and work them in a variety of ways.
Best Soft Plastics to catch Yellowbelly ( Golden Perch )
As consumers of fishing gear, we are so spoiled for choice when it comes to soft plastic choices. Over many years, I have found smaller 2.5 and 3” profiles, grub tails or paddletails, to be the most effective, especially in darker colours. Also, yabbie imitations can equally work as well. Read below about using stinger hooks, which I think is a critical component of increasing catch rates. Let me say that there are so many options, different brands, colours and profiles, so go crazy and experiment. However, my go to soft plastics for yellowbelly are the following options.
- Berkley Gulp 3” minnow in Black
- Squidgies Prawn Wriggler in Black/Gold and Estuary Prawn Colours
- Daiwa Bait Junkie 2.5 Grub in Black n Gold
- Daiwa Bait Junkie Wave Minnow 3 inch in Olive Oil UV
Stinger and assist hooks are essential
Several years ago, I was fishing with a good friend who is a freshwater tournament winner. We were using the same gear; however, I dropped my first couple of catches, and he stuck his. He showed me how he uses stinger or assist hooks to increase catch rates. He explained how yellowbelly are notorious for following soft plastics as they’re slow-rolled and they’ll pick at the tail. By using smaller stinger or assist hooks a few cm below the jig head hook, you will greatly improve your catch rates and stick more of those lower tail bits. He was right, and I have used this technique ever since. Today, the vast majority of yellowbelly I catch are pinned by the assist hooks. There are several ways you can attach assist hooks. Ideally, buy jig heads with a second eyelet and run the assist hooks from that, or use a standard jig head, rig on the plastic, then attach them with a double loop knot. I like to buy painted jig heads for an amazing soft-plastic presentation, then rig the soft plastic and add the stingers. It can be awkward when you want to change the soft plastic, but it’s worth the effort because it significantly increases your catch rates. You can use premade stinger hook setups like the TT assist hooks or Kegga Stinger Hooks.
Heavier jig heads
Historically, I had always fished with 1/12 and 1/8 jig heads when targeting yellowbelly; however, I have slowly gone heavier and heavier, and these days I will generally fish with 1/4 and even 3/8 ounce. This allows the soft plastic to reach the bottom slightly faster, which seems to help greatly. Again, this goes against everything I was ever taught about soft plastics fishing where its always preached to have a slow sinking rate. However, yellowbelly tend to respond better to a fast sink than a slow roll, and it helps you pinpoint your soft plastics more easily when dropping or casting within structure. Much of this was tried and tested by working 2 identical lures or soft plastics of different weights and often observing that the heavier one gets more catches.
Golden Perch love structure
Yellowbelly will often school up in good numbers near any structure. Typically, this will be trees (often referred to as laydowns), where you will see large schools of yellowbelly among the tree branches and stumps. They will also often reside on drop-offs, bridge pylons, and submerged logs. Finding and identifying the structure will help you fish areas that are much more likely to hold yellowbelly. New mapping technology can help greatly with this as does marking waypoints on your sounder when you find good zones full of structure and fish.
Many tournament anglers will simply go from tree to tree vertically dropping plastics and lures and working them back slowly, and have mapped out productive spots over many years, where fish will naturally reside or come back to.
Best Lures to catch Yellowbelly ( Golden Perch )
Lures can also be a great way to target and catch yellowbelly. These can be worked or trolled. Typically, I prefer using vibes, soft vibes, blades and medium diving lures. Let me say that there are so many options, different brands, colours and profiles, so go crazy and experiment. However, my go to lures for yellowbelly are the following options.
- Stump Jumper in Size 3
- 60mm Masked Soft Vibe with stingers in Blue Gill
- Nomad Vertrex Max 85 Soft Vibe in Blue Gill Ayu
- 85mm Samaki Vibelicious
- Jackall TN60 in black/gold
- EcoGear ZX40 blades with stingers
- Bassman Spinnerbaits
Trolling lures to catch yellowbelly
Trolling diving lures behind your boat or kayak is another effective technique. It’s so simple to do and minimises wasted time as a lure is always being worked and could be hit at any time. This is a very different technique, which is more about covering space and areas, as opposed to specifically targeting an area or fish seen on scope.
I have used this simple technique for many years and caught countless yellowbelly. It’s equally as good for cod, redfin, estuary perch and trout. I have had the most success using mid divers like Stump Jumpers in size 3 at a slow to medium speed, where you can see the lure getting down and the rod tip constantly vibrating.
Well, there you go, there is some helpful information on how to catch yellowbelly with soft plastics and lures. A look at gear, setup and techniques that can greatly increase your catch rates and take your fishing enjoyment experience to another level.
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