thanks for the tips,

i was thinking about using some live baits but my dad won't let me fish with anything that isn't already dead, frozen and in a packet so i cant.

I did buy some sprats though, (they only cost £1.40) and i'm going to give them a try.

one more thing...
how small does a dead-bait have to be for a perch to swallow it because there are some nice ones where i go, my dad caught a 1lb 10 ounce one and i've seen much bigger ones.