I started fishing with twitch baits around three years ago, and to be honest, at first I found it extremely challenging to get the bait moving as I wanted. I later learned the right technique and started catching fish – since then, it has quickly become my favourite method of fishing for perch. 

Using a twitch bait is extremely efficient in the following ways:

1. It allows you to cover a lot of water quickly, helping you to find perch faster.

2. They are capable of causing reaction bites all year, even in cold water, because of their flash and noise.

3. Twitchbaits can be suspended in the strike zone for longer, resulting in more and harder bites. A lure like the Gravity Twitch SR can allow to take long pauses between twitching, which is especially effective when the water is cold.

The way that I like to fish a twitchbait is to tap my rod two times with some slack line, either down or to the side creating a side-to-side movement on the lure that looks like a fleeing baitfish. I then pick up some of my slack line by turning my reel slightly. I don’t pick it all up, though, as I will need some slack line for the next two taps. The fish almost always strike in the pause that is created between tap two and the two new taps. 

For this kind of fishing, I prefer a short, fast and stiff rod that’s easy to handle when twitching. The fast action is important because it stops the tip shaking between taps, which can cause line to spin around the top rod ring. In terms of line, I use a 0.08 braided line with a 0.30 fluorocarbon tippet. The thin braided line allows me to make long casts. When tapping the rod, a thinner line also has less friction on the water meaning that I can use less power to get my bait moving, which saves me energy.

My favourite lure for Twitching has to be the new Gravity Twitch. This is a long casting, suspending and easily twitched lure that has delivered big time during test fishing. I prefer the bigger 95 version because it runs to the perfect depth for the waters where I am fishing.