Monster week for perch — Angling Times

A day-ticket fishery has produced massive perch weighing 5lb 4oz, 5lb 1oz and 4lb 12oz for two big-fish anglers.

Thames Water’s Farmoor Reservoir is a tough nut to crack, but Paul Parnell and Angling Times columnist Paul Garner proved the 400-acre fishery’s predator potential.

Fishing the water split into two lakes known as No1 and No2, Reading rod Paul Parnell twice broke his perch personal best when he used a Ned rig to land the two five-pounders, backed by fish of 4lb 3oz, 4lb 2oz and 3lb 15oz.

All fell to a 4ins Zman Finesse Shadz at the Oxfordshire venue, and his biggest was 49 cm long.

“The fact that you can come to a fishery like this, pay your day ticket and catch fish like this is incredible,” said Paul.

“One perch over 5lb is something special, but to have two is hard to believe. It’s still sinking in.

Meanwhile, our own Paul Garner, has been targeting Farmoor for several years and his persistence finally paid off when he spotted a group of fish sitting beneath a shoal of fry on No1.

The Nash-backed specialist clipped on a Berkley Pulse Shad in Firetiger livery and cast in the direction of the fish.

After letting the lure hit the deck he started a slow retrieve, and it was then that the new personal best snatched his bait.

“Most of the time the perch are only seen when the odd big fish is washed up dead, but a 4lb 12oz perch was caught from the No2 reservoir last year by one of the wardens, so I had to keep trying,” said Paul.

“The last time I came close to catching a perch, in fact the last time I saw any on my echo sounder, was three years ago.

“So you can imagine what a surprise this fish was.

“I was expecting a trout to pop up by the side of the boat, but was blown away when a massive perch came up instead… what a fish!”

Our rivers have also been in great form for big perch, and a day’s fishing on the Trent turned into a session of a lifetime, topped by a 4lb 4oz perch, for barbel fishing fanatic Matt Marlow when he smashed his personal best in a swim on a tidal stretch of the river.

“Over the last few week’s I’ve fished the upper, middle and now the tidal reaches of the Trent with double-figure barbel from each, which is a right result,” Matt told Angling Times.

“I started fishing for predators with a small floatfished roach, but after getting seen off by a pike that was well over 20lb, I switched my approach to legering.