4lb 6oz canal perch falls to the drop shot

A day-ticket stretch has produced one of the biggest canal perch of 2016 in the shape of this 4lb 6oz personal best.

Match angler Colin Rennison swapped his pole and seatbox for lure tackle and visited the stretch of canal in Hertfordshire for the first time after hearing stories of it producing big perch in the past.

Colin, from North London, started the day in fine style when he worked his lure close to the moored boats to fool a pristine 3lb 3oz perch using the increasingly popular drop shotting tactic.

But the best was to follow just over an hour later.

“Most of my time is taken up with club matches so it’s great to get out there and do something really different that doesn’t entail carrying loads of gear,” said Colin.

“I was only at the stretch for a couple of hours and I almost broke my personal best twice.”

The angler had a previous perch personal best that stood at 3lb 5oz and his 4lb 6oz specimen was beaten with a rig made from 8lb braid, a 6lb fluorocarbon leader that was finished with a 3ins Savage Gear Ripple Shad, and a 6g jig head.

“It’s not hard to understand why jigging and drop shotting have become so popular because you can just chuck a rod, rucksack and a net in the car and you’re away,” continued Colin.

“There are so many canals that have great potential for perch and the fact that I had two fish like this on my first-ever visit just reinforces the fact that venues like this hold some wonderful specimens. You don’t have to be an expert to be in with a chance of something really special.”