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Pursuing Perch

By Jacob Iedema

Jacob Iedema recently headed to North Queensland to adventure with his family. This was an adventure that saw him land a mixed bag of species, while also having the opportunity to target some bucket list species, including barramundi. Catching a new species is a big deal and this is Jacob's account of his first time targeting another iconic northern species, the jungle perch. Fish on!

Powerful winds and heavy squalls battered the coast surrounding Mission Beach, providing little opportunity to wet a line in the salt. The clear blue water that lures tourists in from all over the world had turned into a rough, silty concoction of wind and waves. However, one afternoon a break in the weather slightly inland allowed us a chance to hike up one of the many pristine creeks around Tully. Our mission was to target Far North Queensland's iconic jungle perch.

After driving up through the lush rainforest, we arrived at an ideal jungle perch creek and the excitement was building. I was armed with an ideal finesse spin combo for targeting this species; a 20 size Okuma Helios SX spin reel and 1-3kg Helios SX rod. I set myself up with an assortment of ZMan soft plastics and began trekking up the creek.

The water was as clear as glass and it carved a path through piles boulders, with vegetation clinging to the rocky waterfalls. The sun peered in through the intricate canopy of trees and glistened of the water's mirror like surface. As I fished my way up each pool the tranquillity and peacefulness of the running water and breathtaking scenery almost made me forget about fishing completely. The old saying is that catching a fish is just a bonus and this is especially so when fishing in such remote and pristine parts of Australia.

I continued flicking a ZMan 2.5" GrubZ into each pool until I came across a long stretch of water with low hanging vines and branches drooping down to about four metres above the water. I made a cast for the back of the pool, however the cast was slightly too high and the line caught over one of the small, low branches. The lure continued and fell onto the water on the other side. As the lure hit the water a jungle perch bow wave appeared, surged over toward it and then smashed the lure off the surface!

My line then went tight as the fish began its aerial display. All I could do was walk over and net the perch as it fought for its freedom. Not quite how I intended to catch my first jungle perch, nevertheless it was still my first ever JP and I was pumped. The intricate detail on the perch was like nothing I'd ever seen before and after a quick photo and smooth release, I continued hiking up the creek.

After my first jungle perch I couldn't manage a second that day, however I had landed another bucket list species and was still happy but wanting another shot. It wasn't until two weeks later that I had another chance at a perch. This time I was fishing around the Daintree region and had hiked up another creek in the hope of catching a bigger perch.

After fishing some large deep pools, with a ZMan 3" Slim SwimZ, I made a cast up in some shallow, fast flowing water and hooked up to a small perch. This time the fight was more enjoyable. This fish put on an impressive arial display and I was stoked to land my second jungle perch.

The places that fishing can take you is part in parcel of why I love this sport so much. Travelling to remote places, surrounding yourself with nature and adventuring with only a rod and a handful of lures. This is something that I can't get enough of. Now that I am home from our northern trip I long for the day when I can experience it all again.

Get out there...
Jacob

Gearing Up:

Okuma Helios SX Spin Rods - HSX-S-701L 7' 1-3kg
Okuma Helios SX Spin Reels - HSX-20
ZMan 2.5" GrubZ
ZMan 2.5" Slim SwimZ
TT Lures HeadlockZ Jigheads
TT Lures Jig Spinners