Big river perch on a lobworm

When the temperatures drop, big perch can still be relied on to put a bend in the rod – as proved by Josh Fisher when he banked a series of fish to 3lb 7oz from a Midlands river.

The Norfolk-based all-rounder had endured several fruitless sessions in search of chub and decided to switch his attentions to the predatory species in a bid to change his fortunes.

Fully aware that the cold conditions would affect the feeding habits of the fish, he used a simple yet extremely sensitive rig which would register even the shyest of bites.

“I wanted to spot the tiniest of plucks on the rod tip so I link legered a lobworm on the hook and sprayed red maggots over the top,” explained Josh, who used 4lb Drennan Supplex mainline straight through to a size 6 hook.

Targeting a well-known hotspot on the waterway, it wasn’t long before the professional tattoo artist hooked and landed a fish just over the 3lb-barrier and several others of a similar weight came to the net before the end of the session.

Just days later he headed to a different stretch and adopting a roving approach to fish a number of swims he finally took the biggest perch from the two trips. He said: “A large fish kept picking the bait up and spitting it out so I cranked the reel a couple of times to pull the worm back. This got an instant reaction as the tip immediately flew round and the 3lb 7oz specimen was soon on the bank.”

Determined to continue to his run of form, he has now set his sights on a new winter target, and told Angling Times: “I’ve pinpointed a venue that has a big head of roach and I’m hoping to catch a fish over the 2lb-mark in the coming weeks.”