Huge perch haul topped by 5lb 12oz
Here's a picture of the 5lb 12oz perch that topped out an incredible haul of specimens.
The fish was caught by Cheshire’s Gary Knowles, who also landed perch weighing 5lb 2oz and no fewer than 10 other fish over 4lb during an action-packed session the Korum-backed angler ‘will never forget’.
All the fish fell to drop shotting tactics with a small soft plastic lure, a size 4 hook and a 5g lead – an approach Gary had used the day before on an undisclosed river in Holland. “On the first day’s fishing I landed 15 to 18 fish, mostly upper threes, with three fish over 4lb including a new Dutch best of 4lb 8oz. That was fantastic, but the best was yet to come,” Gary told Angling Times.
“At one stage I landed four fish over 4lb in successive casts, then came the 5lb 2oz giant. I was ecstatic, as it was a new personal best. Then, with about 30 minutes left before I had to pack up, I struck into what I assumed was a pike, but it turned out to be the most enormous perch I have ever seen – the 5lb 12oz fish.
“It looked too big to be real, and I felt euphoric as I watched it surge away back into the depths – a fitting finale to a truly amazing day’s fishing!” Gary Knowles wasn’t the only UK perch fishing fanatic to strike gold in Holland. Andrew Sharp travelled nearly 20 miles for one bite on his latest trip to beat a 5lb 2oz fish.
The 41-year-old targeted a wide stretch of the River Diep, where he worked soft rubber lures close to the bottom from a boat.
