Opportune angler nets big perch

A spot of opportune angling led to the capture of this 4lb 14oz perch for specimen angler Ken Brown.

The 49-year-old Hertfordshire-based roofer was targeting the tench on a large southern stillwater, but when he noticed a shoal of small fish dimpling on the surface he suspected one of the venue’s large perch could be responsible.

He quickly rigged up a waggler presentation with 8lb mainline straight through to a size 6 Drennan Specimen hook with a whole lobworm hookbait, and flicked it 10yds out to where he’d seen the prey fish.

His first bite resulted in a 3lb pike, but when his float went under for the second time he found himself connected to the specimen stripey.

Trio of massive bream landed

An angler has taken a trio of huge bream to a top weight of 18lb 5oz on simple maggot feeder tactics.

Ray Miles from north London used just a couple of pints of bait to take the fish, which together weighed a fraction under 50lb.

He also slipped the net under 14 big perch during his amazing session, including seven over 3lb.

To read the full details of Ray's incredible exploits, get next week's Angling Times, on sale Tuesday 19th July.

Fancy learning to flyfish for pike?

If flyfishing for pike is your sort of thing then the forthcoming evening being held by Norwich DAA with expert on the subject David Wolsoncroft-Dodds will be a must.

Taking place on Friday August 5 at the Norwich Assembly House, Hardy’s consultant and author of the book ‘Flyfishing for Pike’ David will be on hand to answer questions on the subject and to talk about this less-well known branch of predator fishing.

Tickets for the evening are £8.25 available from the box office on 01603 598688.

Royalty produces big perch

The Royalty Fishery on the Hampshire Avon might be traditionally more famous for its barbel and chub but local rod Sean Miller proved those two species aren’t the only ones to grow to specimen size.

Floatfishing with a live dace, the 19-year-old from Christchurch banked a 3lb 9oz perch – one of the best to come from the venue so far this season.

Sean presented his bait under a chubber presented in the margins next to an undercut bank.

Nine 2lb perch...in 45 minutes

Chris Hammond landed this impressive haul of perch that featured no less than nine fish all over the 2lb mark in just 45 minutes.

The Newmarket, Suffolk-based angler has recently had a lot of success with big rudd, but this time he turned his attentions to predators and float-fished small gudgeon at a river in Cambridgeshire to take his impressive catch.

Not only did he enjoy an early morning session to remember, but he also had the privilege of meeting award winning angling film maker and photographer Hugh Miles, who took the pictures for Chris’ ever growing album.

UK Champs venue changed

The venue for the second round of the UK Angling Championships has been changed after host fishery Coleman’s Cottage pulled out.

Scheduled for Wednesday July 13, the match will now take place at Barston Lakes, a fact that hasn’t pleased event organiser Nigel Harrhy.

“The owners (of Coleman’s Cottage) told me that it was too much work for them to have the match and that’s annoying, “ he said.

Full story in next week’s Angling Times, on sale 21st June 2011.

Perch record goes up to 6lb 3oz

The UK’s perch record is set to be increased by 1oz to 6lb 3oz.

That’s the news this week after the British Record Fish Committee found that the scales belonging to the captor of the historic fish, Neill Stephen, were weighing an ounce light.

Neill caught the fish in March from a Sussex day-ticket water, a catch that helped him to secure top spot in this year’s Drennan Cup competition.

Full story and reaction in next week’s AT

Perch record is under siege after string of huge captures

The big-fish world has been set buzzing this week, following the capture of yet another huge perch from Hanningfield Reservoir in Essex.

Weighing 5lb 5oz, the fish is the third 5lb-plus perch caught from the venue this month, leading many to believe that the 870 acre water will soon produce a new British record stripey.

The potential for a fish capable of bettering Neill Stephens’ 6lb 2oz so far ‘unofficial’ record fish caught earlier this year is certainly there. The biggest of the perch landed at Hanningfield in the last few weeks was weighed at a staggering 5lb 15oz – a weight which equals the current official record.

However, according to staff at Essex and Suffolk Water which runs the reservoir, this could be just the tip of the iceberg. Sightings of a number of truly massive perch have been reported. Some of these have been estimated to be approaching an unbelievable 7lb.

“I’ve seen giant perch in there with my own eyes. Some of them looked well over 6lb, maybe even 7lb, so I’m certain that there’s a record waiting to be caught,” Leisure Operations Manager for the reservoir, Don Coe, told Angling Times.

“We changed the rules on the reservoir around three years ago to allow more methods to be used, not just artificial flies. Since then we’re seeing a lot more big perch being caught, especially on lures like this latest fish.”

Also well aware of Hanningfield’s potential for big perch is founder of the Perchfishers group, Steve Burke.

“I fished Hanningfield years ago for the trout and always thought it had great potential for big perch,” said Steve.

“These fish thrive on neglect and they’ll have been largely undisturbed by anglers to grow, perhaps, to record sizes.

“As far as the water producing a 7lb fish goes it’s not beyond the realms of possibility, especially after seeing these three 5lb fish being caught in such a short period. It’s a very exciting time for big perch.”

Neill Stephen becomes the latest winner of the prestigious Drennan Cup

It’s official, Neill Stephen has been crowned this year’s winner of the biggest competition in specimen angling, the prestigious Drennan Cup.
The London-based angler, who took the title with catches including a new British perch record, received the hallowed trophy at a ceremony at Drennan HQ in Oxfordshire, being handed the cup by non-other than tackle legend Peter Drennan himself.
Neill will now go down in fishing history alongside such angling greats as Terry Lampard and Matt Hayes, with his name etched on the side of the cup - a fact that the new champs admits is still sinking in.
“It was an amazing day at Drennan receiving the cup and meeting everyone.  I still can’t believe I won, I’d like to thank everyone who voted for me.”

Surprise 5lb 15oz perch landed from Hanningfield Reservoir

The coarse fishing potential of the nation’s big trout reservoirs emerged again this week after huge perch weighing 5lb 15oz and 5lb 5oz were banked.

Day-ticket angler Ovidiuus Venkus smashed both his personal best and the perch record at Hanningfield Reservoir in Essex  when he landed the larger fish on a small spinner worked between Hall Point and the Peninsula at the 870-acre venue.

It was the second of two huge perch banked at the water, the other huge stripey of 5lb 5oz falling to a visiting fly angler.

According to Graham Brown, the senior ranger at the Essex and Suffolk Water-owned reservoir, perch are just one of the many coarse fish species that grow to specimen size at Hanningfield, with carp to over 40lb and pike to the 30lb mark having been banked in the past.

“A couple of years ago this was  predominantly a flyfishing venue, but it seemed a shame to have such rich stocks of big coarse fish and not to let day-ticket anglers have a go for them,” said Graham.

“Every year there are stories of very big perch, pike and carp being seen – the biggest pike caught last year was a fish of 29lb, which is very exciting indeed,” he said.

“Anybody can now come here and target the huge fish that inhabit this venue, with hundreds of acres to explore.

“With the vast quantities of natural food that are present in Hanningfield, there are sure to be many more surprises out there,” he added.

Stunning 4lb 3oz perch caught by Neill Stephen

Big perch don’t come much better looking than this 4lb 3oz fish landed by specimen all-rounder Neill Stephen.

After returning from a trip to India that produced mahseer to well over 60lb, the angler, from south west London, continued his run of big-fish form after landing the large stripey while fishing on a local stillwater.

It’s the first perch over 4lb Neill has caught for almost four years, and the Drennan Cup contender fooled the impressive specimen by presenting a roach livebait beneath a small red foam ball that was soaked in Archie Braddock’s ‘perch magic’ flavouring. He landed the fish using 5lb line and a size 6 hook.

Cudmore Fisheries stock potential record-breaking perch

A giant perch stocked into a day-ticket fishery at nearly 6lb ‘will make the British record in a matter of weeks’, says the venue’s owner.

Weighing 5lb 13oz - just 2oz off the current national best - the big fish was released into a new Predator Pool at Staffordshire’s Cudmore Fisheries, with owner Cyril Brewster adamant it will go on to make history.

“The fish was netted from one of our match pools, but had never been caught before,” he said. “There are loads of fry in there, so it would have gorged on those to reach this size, which is probably why it’s never taken a hookbait before.

“It shouldn’t be long before it puts on enough weight to go through the 6lb barrier.”
Stocked with 40 other fish all over 2lb, the  specimen is another in an increasing number of giants residing in  commercial venues where perch are the apex predators.

“We’re all aware of the perch these fisheries can produce, but this is a very big fish that will go over the record. It’ll be 6lb by March,” said
Steve Aley, of The Perchfishers.

Containing pike, catfish and perch, Cudmore Fisheries’ new Predator Pool is planned to be opened in mid February. For more information, contact Cudmore on 01782 680919.