Could trout water’s 4lb 12oz stripey be the tip of the iceberg?

The incredible specimen perch potential of our trout waters was highlighted this week when Ben Farley took this giant 4lb 12oz fish from Farmoor Reservoir.

Dozens of big pike have already been banked from the country’s expansive reservoirs this winter, but this week’s catch at the Oxfordshire water proved that other huge predators are also there for the taking.

Ben, who works as a ranger at Farmoor, used a small livebait to tempt the venue record perch.

With a daunting 350 acres of water to go at, he decided to launch his attack from the shore on Reservoir Two, with pike being his primary target. The session took a welcome if unexpected twist when the big perch grabbed the bait close to the bank.

He told Angling Times: “The moment I hooked the fish I thought it was a trout, but then I got a glimpse of it and realised I was into a massive perch.

“I’ve had quality perch from the venue before, but this surpasses anything else by a long way. It was a huge fish, and it shows that Farmoor is capable of producing something very special indeed.”

Venue boss Will Barnard was on hand to verify the impressive capture, and he said: “This was a stunning fish, and it helps prove that waters like Farmoor are the place to head to for a giant perch.

“We know there are large shoals of them in here, and with the massive numbers of fry present they have plenty of food to feast on and grow to specimen size.

“The previous best on rod and line was 3lb 9oz, but we weighed a dead fish with no head that had been washed up on the shore and it went 4lb 12oz. 

“It was the size of a size 12 boot, and that was without the head!

“It’s anyone’s guess how big the perch in Farmoor grow.”

Other trout waters too have noticed an increase in the number of keen perch anglers getting on the bank and Dave Coleman – the boss of Cumbrian reservoir Esthwaite Water – said: “We have had perch to 4lb reported, and the number of people that are coming to Esthwaite to target this species is definitely on the up.

“The interest in drop shotting and lure fishing has without doubt helped spark this interest.

“I also happen to think that people enjoy the mystery of not knowing exactly how big the perch could grow in a venue such as ours – Esthwaite Water is over 280 acres, so it could hide a giant.”

Record perch taken?

Rumours have been doing the rounds that the British perch record has been smashed – with a breathtaking specimen estimated to weigh 6lb 8oz! 

The mammoth predator is thought to have been landed from a Milton Keynes AA-controlled water, but the captor didn’t weigh the fish and is refusing to go public with his historic catch.

Club official Mike Reveler has seen images of the predator, and he told reporters at the Milton Keynes Citizen: “The head of the fish was larger than the man’s hands – it was a huge perch in superb condition and brightly coloured.”

To add further fuel to the fire, the man’s friend is said to have taken another massive perch weighing 5lb 6oz 8dr during the same session.

Pair of fours make a winning perch hand

Perch fishing sessions don’t get much better than the one Ben Hinton enjoyed on the River Thames.

He landed no fewer than a dozen 2lb-plus fish topped by this specimen of 4lb 6oz.

Fishing an unnamed stretch of the waterway, the Gardner Tackle-sponsored angler’s dream haulfeatured three 3lb stripeys as well as another of 4lb 1oz in what he called ‘by far the most crazy three hours’ fishing I’ve ever had’. 

Ben tempted all his perch on trotting tactics with small livebaits under a bobber float. He used 5lb Gardner fluorocarbon mainline and a size 6 Gardner wide gape Talon Tip hook.  

Huge perch highlight of a wonder week

This 4lb 6oz 8dr perch topped an amazing week for Nigel Kennard.

His new best from the River Lea in Hertfordshire topped a list of fish, including a 6lb 5oz chub and an 11lb barbel from the idyllic Hampshire Avon, plus another pb – a 3lb 11oz 8dr crucian.

“I began on the Avon, where the big chub was backed up with three five-pounders, all on boilies,” Nigel said. “I then drove to a lake in Surrey where I beat my crucian pb on the first day.”

Adding six others over 3lb, he then turned his attentions to the River Lea perch where stripeys of 2lb 8oz and 2lb 1oz backed up his four-pounder, all caught on a link leger rig baited with a lobworm.

Massive perch on a £1 lure!

A lure bought for £1 from a car boot sale is to thank for one of the biggest-ever hauls of specimen perch.

John Deprieelle and Ben Humber boated 30 perch over the 3lb mark, topped by a 3lb 14oz specimen, during a day at the incredible Chew Valley Reservoir.

The Somerset venue, widely regarded as the UK’s best predator water because of its stocks of huge pike, proved that it holds much more when the pair switched to targeting perch after a pikeless morning.

“By 1pm we hadn’t had a touch from a pike so we changed our attack, and that’s when the day turned into the session of a lifetime,” John told Angling Times.

“Initially the odd perch turned up, but then I decided to give a little lure that I found at a car boot sale a try – and it just went off big time.

“They just couldn’t get enough of this thing – you could see the bow waves made by the big perch as they fought to grab hold of the lure as I was retrieving it back to the boat. The transformation was incredible.”

By the time they returned to the fishing lodge, John, from Exeter, and Ben, a Fox Rage consultant from Bristol, had shared in the capture of more than 40 big perch.

“Ben had taken a few fish, but then he found a lure in his collection that was as similar as possible to what I was using, and from then on his catch rate improved no end,” John continued. “We had numerous double hook-ups, follows and missed fish too, as well as six pike to mid-double figures. 

“It really was incredible and we won’t be forgetting it in a hurry.”

The haul didn’t come as much of a surprise to John Harris, who is Fisheries and Recreations Officer at the Bristol Water-controlled Chew Valley Lake.

He is fully aware of the perch potential of the vast venue and says there’s every possibility it could contain a specimen that beats the British record, currently standing at 6lb 3oz.

“I would be so bold to say that this venue is more likely to produce a perch record than a record pike,” said John.

“This is one of the best catches of perch we’ve had on lures, but we have massive catches of them every year, especially to those fishing with flies. I’ve had loads of them over 3lb on that tactic, and the vast perch stocks prove just what an incredible venue this is.”

Chew Valley Reservoir has produced more than 40 pike over the 30lb mark since it opened for its annual predator fishing season, and the biggest reported so far is a 39-pounder.

Personal best perch is a joy to (be)hold…

Catching big fish is all about being able to adapt, and Marcus Joy did just that when a barbel fishing session produced this 3lb 12oz perch.

He spotted the predator during a visit to a local river, so he dashed back to his car and exchanged his barbel fishing gear for a spinning outfit.

It was an inspired decision by the Lone Angler Team member. from Gainsborough, Lincs, as he returned to the water and the new personal best took his small rubber lure on the second cast.

“I’m going to keep the spinning rod in the boot for the rest of the season, but I doubt I’ll beat my new pb for quite a while,” he said.

Stour perch falls to a worm

Big perch love worms, and Iain McDonald used this to his advantage when he targeted the species on the Kentish Stour.

Two dendrobaena worms trundled beneath an overhanging tree on the far bank saw the local big-fish expert induce a take that produced this pristine stripey weighing 2lb 12oz.

His simple two swan shot rig was made up on 4lb line with a size 12 hook.

Lake with 25lb pike and huge perch will open this autumn

Day-ticket anglers could soon be targeting record-breaking fish at a venue that’s opening to coarse angling for the first time ever.
Angling Times can exclusively reveal that perch to almost 6lb and monster pike will be just some of the huge fish on offer at Lake Savage later this year.
The former trout fishing venue in Theale, Berkshire, has been taken over by game fishing retailer Sportfish, which immediately drew up a raft of plans for the gravel pit.
Additionally, the fishery is being sponsored by leading specialist predator tackle manufacturer Savage Gear.
The huge potential of the new lake has already been highlighted by Savage Gear-backed Chris Lowe, who was given exclusive one-off access for a test session. He not only netted a 25lb pike while drop shotting for perch, but also heard stories of other giants.
Chris believes Lake Savage is capable of making a reality of the promise it has already shown.
“The pike I caught had already spawned, so we already know there are fish over 25lb in here – and that is just the tip of the iceberg,” he said.
 “A huge perch was recently discovered, and although it was dead, it weighedwell over 5lb.
“Fly anglers in the past have caught specimen stripeys, so who knows what else the lake could throw up?” he added.
Sportfish is currently in the process of making improvements to the fishery, including restocking Lake Savage to improve sport still further at the company’s new Game Fishing Centre before it opens some time this autumn.
Ian Welch, who is overseeing the project, told Angling Times: “As well as improving swims we will be netting our on-site trout lake, taking out all the pike and big perch and introducing them into our new predator lake.”
“Lake Savage has bags of potential, and I’m hoping it will whet the appetite of lure anglers who want to come and fish it.”

4lb 2oz perch on bargain club ticket

Kieran Granville proved you don’t have to spend a fortune on season tickets to find big fish when he banked this 4lb 2oz perch from a club water.

The Taunton AA head bailiff visited the association-controlled Maunsel Ponds and relied on a tried-and-tested floatfished worm approach on a water better known for its carp.

It was a ploy that worked a treat within a short space of time, with the big predator soon falling foul of the simple tactics.

Tickets to join the club are currently on sale and start at £25 for adults and £10 for juniors.

Prawn bait proves the downfall of 4lb perch

Cornwall’s BK Fisheries has been on fire for big perch recently and it proved its specimen credentials once again when it produced this superb 4lb fish.

Local angler Luke Oates floatfished a prawn to get the better of the specimen that was lured into the swim after he used groundbait mixed with maggots and prawns.

Luke fed a ball into his chosen swim every 30 minutes. It was an approach that paid off handsomely when he beat the fish with a simple rig made from 8lb mainline, a fluorocarbon hooklink and a size 10 Drennan Super Specialist hook.

Perch haul on worms

Analysing the lakebed was key for specimen ace Matt Perring when he landed no less than five 3lb-plus perch topped by a cracker of 3lb 14oz.

Testing a Deeper Fish Finder, the Marukyu-sponsored angler discovered a deep hole on Oxfordshire’s Linch Hill Fishery and had an inkling it could hold some monster perch. He fed it with chopped dendrobaena worms before casting a size 8 hook baited with four worms to the spot. In just four hours the Banbury angler caught 11 perch, including fish of 3lb 2oz, 3lb 6oz and 3lb 14oz.

He said: “Initially I went to Linch for an early tench session but when the temperatures dropped and I caught a lovely 3lb 6oz perch I decided to come back the next day and target them instead,” he said.

Impressive stripey shows joy of fishing

Catching big fish isn’t all about pounds and ounces as Dan Sales proved when he banked this impressive river perch.

Herts-based specialist is an expert at catching specimen predators and he took a selection of lures to a stretch of a river in the Midlands and struck gold when he worked an EcoGear shad.

“This is my ultimate perch of the season and I haven’t got an idea of what it weighed. I was just fishing for fishing’s sake.”

Prawns lure 5lb 4oz perch

A fishy groundbait made from liquidised prawns accounted for this huge 5lb 4oz perch.

The popular BK Fisheries in Cornwall is just 20 minutes up the road for the experienced all-rounder Steve Proud and being fully aware of the venue’s big-perch credentials, he based his attack around traditional float fishing tactics and his special groundbait mix.

After choosing a peg on Bill’s Pool, the 54-year-old from Redruth found 10 feet of water on the edge of the shelf and used a simple waggler rig to fish a single prawn threaded on to a size 14 hook .

It was a method that saw perch to 1lb 8oz come to the net before he smashed his personal best that stood at 3lb 8oz.

“This is an incredible water to have on my doorstep and there are loads of big perch because five-pounders have been caught in the past, so I went specific ally with this species in mind. This fish blew me away and I couldn’t stop shaking when it came to the top,” said Steve.

He believes the secret to his success lies in the groundbait that he makes with liquidised prawns, brown crumb and Dynamite Baits, fed on a little-and-often basis.

“Feeding small balls of this throughout the day creates an enticing cloud in the water, which not only directly pulls in the perch, but also small silverfish that in turn attracts predators,” he continued.

“I’ve seen some big perch in my time, but this was like another species altogether and my fishing partner Ian Benny couldn’t believe his eyes either,” said Steve of the fish within a pound of the UK record.

Steve used a 2AAA waggler, 5lb mainline and a Drennan Supplex hooklink.

To find out more about the two-lake venue at St Erth, near Hayle in West Cornwall, call 01736 753275.

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.”

Pair take perch bests

White Springs Fishery yet again proved its big perch credentials when two anglers smashed their personal bests for the species.
Experienced specimen hunters Graeme King and Vaughan Witton made the trip down from the Midlands to the popular complex in Swansea, Wales worthwhile when Graham banked the biggest perch at 4lb 9oz.
Vaughan’s personal-best stripey topped the scales at 3lb 9oz and he backed it up with perch weighing 3lb 7oz and 3lb 1oz.

4lb 3oz River Trent perch

Andrew Cheetham had floods to thank after he banked this 4lb 3oz perch from a section of the Trent.
The main river flow was too strong for the Manchester angler to fish, so he moved to an area of slack water.
“I legered a lobworm into the calm zone and at daybreak a small bite registered on the tip,” he said.
“I struck and a slow, dogged fight ensued which I thought was a pike – but once it surfaced I could see it was a decent, old warrior of a perch that had survived the floods.”
He used a Drennan 10ft puddle chucker rod with 6lb line attached to a size 4 Drennan wide gape hook.

Big canal perch are there for the taking

Martin Salter showed why anglers should be targeting big perch in the canals when his recent run of specimens was topped by this 3lb 2oz fish.
The Angling Trust campaigns chief has banked a couple of 2lb fish on each of the last five short sessions he has put in on the Kennet and Avon Canal near his Berkshire home, with a brace of three-pounders also falling to his legered lobworms.
“These big perch are sensitive to any form of resistance, so it’s vital to use a fine glass quivertip,” he observed.

4lb perch tops an incredible week’s haul

An impressive week for big perch was this week topped by an incredible haul of 50 fish that featured a 4lb 8dr specimen and taken in just a few hours.
Adam Perna visited a stillwater that he’s never fished before and nothing could have prepared him for the session that was about to unfold. An assortment of lures saw him back up his biggest specimen with a 3lb 1oz fish and six other perch all over 2lb.
“I found a mass of small fish grouped in one corner of the lake and I had a feeling there might be larger fish that were responsible for herding them there,” said Adam.
“My hunch was right as I had a 2lb 8oz fish first cast, but then the size of fish tailed off so I changed to a Natural Party Ambulance jig which is a favourite of mine on the big reservoirs. That’s what produced my fifth perch over the 4lb mark.”
Turning to the nation’s rivers, respected big-fish all-rounder Darran Goulder had every reason to smile when a 4lb 9oz personal best provided the only bite of
a session on a stretch of a tough river in the south of the country.
The Shimano and Dynamite Baits-backed specialist fed his way through two pints of  red maggots and 50 lobworms, which were introduced both via a feeder and also chopped and fed through a catapult.
It was a lobworm hookbait that produced the all-important bite. It saw him beat his previous best for the species that stood at 4lb 6oz.
“I banked my first 4lb perch around two months ago after 10 years of trying, so to catch another giant like this is really special,” said Darran.
“The river was carrying extra colour, so I doused my maggots in a little Dynamite Krill groundbait and liquid to give them a bit of extra pulling power, which really did the trick.”

White Springs perch tempted on a prawn

Commercial carp fisheries are a great resource for specimen perch anglers, as Stephen Smith demonstrated with the capture of this 4lb 1oz stripey.
The Rhondda-based angler netted the specimen during a stormy session at White Springs Fishery in South Wales, a venue known for its huge perch.
He tempted the fish, which beats his previous best for the species by 5oz, using a floatfished prawn baited on a size 12 Drennan Wide Gape Specialist hook after bait-dropping chopped prawns and maggots into his swim.

Perch frenzy sees 13 landed in 90 minutes

The predator fishing potential of canals has again been highlighted this week following the capture of a mammoth haul of perch.
Matthew Perring enjoyed a session of a lifetime during a short lure fishing trip on a day-ticket stretch of the Oxford Canal.
The Ecogear-sponsored, Banbury all-rounder, achieved the staggering haul during a manic 90 minutes spent on the cut, which saw him land 13 perch over 2lb topped by a 2lb 14oz specimen.
Matt targeted a swim he had never previously fished, only making a chance cast into the peg after spotting small silverfish topping while walking past.
 “I was on my way to another area where I normally go, but thought I’d have a cast after seeing all those small silvers surfacing,” he said.
“Within seconds, I was playing my first fish of the session and then it just snowballed from there. It was incredible how many fish there were in a small space.”
Matt, who also banked five zander to just under 5lb during the session, caught all his fish using a 3ins Ecogear Rock Claw lure, mounted on a 5g jig head and size 2/0 hook.
Having already landed numerous perch to over 4lb this year, Matt is no stranger to big fish but he admitted he had never experienced a session like it and hopes the catch will encourage others to head to their local canal.
“I have achieved multiple catches of perch over 3lb on the River Thames before, but to haul out this many fish of this size on a canal is special,” he continued.
“I am hoping this catch proves just how good the UK canal systems can be.”