Grebes give away monster perch hotspot

MATT Atkins’ decision to chase perch at the crack of dawn was rewarded with this enormous 5lb 2oz fish. The Bedfordshire rod had spotted two grebes diving for fry behind a weedbed 40 yards out on his local stillwater, so he cast his chopped worm and maggot-loaded feeder to the mark.

“Two hours later my bite alarm bleeped, my bobbin jingled and I set the hook into a very big fish that plodded around, shaking its head viciously,” Matt said.

“At 5lb 2oz it was a way off the 6lb 4oz specimen I caught a few months back but who’s complaining? It was my only bite, and I drove home at 11.30am a very happy man.”

Matt Atkins can thank the grebes for his latest monster perch of 5lb 2oz