First season perch success

THIS huge 4lb 13oz perch was the ‘jewel in the crown’ of Lee Amass’ first season targeting the species.

Over the last few months the 34-year-old IT worker has focused his attentions on a commercial stillwater in Sussex, breaking his personal best three times in total with other specimens of 2lb 14oz and 3lb 5oz during that period.

After spotting some small fish topping on the surface in a different area of the lake at the end of a day session, he returned the next day and headed straight to the spot, believing that perch could be responsible.

“I flicked out a hair-rigged king prawn hookbait under an overhanging willow tree,” Lee told Angling Times. “Every hour or so I fed 10 smaller peeled prawns as well as keeping a steady trickle of red maggots going in to attract the prey fish.

“Two and a half hours later I had a strange take - normally the perch in there scream off but on this occasion the bobbin pulled up slightly and then dropped back. When it twitched again slightly I decided to hit it. At first I thought it was a small carp because it just stayed deep and plodded around in front of me. When I got it to the surface, though, my legs went to jelly. I caught a 3lb 5oz perch a few weeks earlier and could tell straight away this one was in a different league. The lake has done 5lb-plus fish in the past and I knew this one would be close.”

Lee used a low-resistance running rig comprising a 0.25oz bomb with a 5lb fluorocarbon hooklink attached to a size 8 Kamasan B983 hook.