giant river perch heads bumper week for species

STRING of big perch catches rounds off the incredible flurry of specimen fish to be reported to Angling Times this week.

Topping these captures was a 4lb 6oz sergeant caught by England Youth International and Sensas Mark One squad member Josh Newman.

The 15-year-old latched into the giant while pleasure fishing with worm on the pole on a stretch of the River Glen near Spalding. 

Josh told Angling Times: “I was stunned when it surfaced but not surprised, as I’ve had perch up to 3lb 8oz here in the past. I am confident that 5lb-plus perch are in the river.”

Martin Paget has also been getting among these hungry predators, and on a recent session landed a 4lb 1oz fish from a tributary of the River Thames. 

Martin said: “The fish put up a great fight, which made me think I had hooked a pike.” 

The chunky Thames stripey was caught on a light running leger set-up, combining 5lb mainline tied to a size 8 Drennan Super Specialist hook and lobworm as bait. 

The Great Ouse is another river with a reputation for large perch, and it certainly lived up to that when Phil Mapp caught a 4lb cracker from the Linford Lakes stretch of the river. 

Recalling a truly memorable session, Phil said: “It was definitely a day I’ll never forget. 

“I leaned into the fish which then came up, displaying an amazing tail-walk before darting beneath overhanging branches.

“I managed to slip the net under it eventually and could tell it was big due to the shoulders on it.”

Phil’s clonking fish also fell to lobworms presented on a touch-leger rig.

It was yet another river that provided a surprise for George Gorst when he backed up a personal-best Trent barbel with a new perch pb just 48 hours later. 

The fish weighed 3lb 13oz and was caught from a section of the River Ribble near Preston.

Nash star Alan Blair rounded off the fantastic week of big perch catches when he landed an amazing haul from Cornwall’s Upper Tamar Lake. 

His catch totalled nine perch with five over the 3lb mark – the largest being a 3lb 9oz specimen.

Better known as a carp bagging machine than a specimen perch fisher, Alan borrowed some carp tactics and tempted small baitfish into the swim with Nashbait Spod Cloud groundbait.