After work session produces huge canal perch

November 16, 2020 Guest User

AN HOUR’S lure fishing after work was all Adam Jones needed to bank this immaculate 4lb 7oz perch PB.

The London-based predator fanatic fished a skirted TRD TicklerZ Ned Rig low and slow along the bottom of a local canal stretch before it was demolished by the giant perch just before the near-bank shelf.

Adam told us:

“The fight was short but intensely powerful, with the rod hooping round and the fish giving mighty headshakes as I brought her towards the net.”

Reconditioned boat helps find a monster PB perch - Mark Hewett

October 23, 2020 Guest User

“Recently I bought and reconditioned a boat to explore the River Lea this coming winter. A mate and I took it out for a recce, but after travelling a fair distance we still hadn’t caught anything.
“Eventually we got to a bridge and I lost what felt like a perch on a lure straight away, so I switched tactics and cast a small roach livebait under the bridge tunnel to see if a bigger one was in the area.
“Twenty minutes later I struck into what felt like a small jack but then, after 10 seconds or so, I could see this huge perch gliding through the water.
“I went from saying ‘please don’t be a pike’ to shouting ‘please don’t come off’ in seconds, and grew weak at the knees when it bolted off on a short run.
“Extra pressure told as I drew it to the surface where my mate was ready with the net. At 4lb 1oz it was a PB and the perfect start to my autumn campaign.”

Mark Hewett and his 4lb 1oz River Lea perch

Drop shotting brings haul of large perch

October 19, 2020 Guest User

DROP shotting tactics helped Richard Bedder boat an impressive haul of 10 perch to 4lb 10oz during a recent visit to a Midlands stillwater.

By fishing a mixture of rubber worms, spikey shads and rudd imitation lures close to the bottom, the Norfolk police officer managed to net his new personal best alongside three others over the 4lb mark.

He said:

“I had one at 2lb 15oz, five over 3lb to 3lb 15oz and four over four weighing 4lb 1oz, 4lb 5oz, 4lb 7oz and 4lb 10oz – it was truly a red-letter day!”

Switch to weedless lure snares a monster perch - Ash Costa

September 16, 2020 Guest User

“I recently learned the importance of carrying a variety of lures when predator fishing after a change in approach during a recent trip helped me to catch a massive perch.
“There’s a particular Fenland drain that’s been a tough nut to crack this season, although on a few occasions I’ve seen some very big perch follow the smaller ones that I’ve hooked to the bank.
“Seeing these inspired me to keep fishing the area, but to begin with I had very little luck. That all changed on my latest session, however.
“I arrived at the drain early in the morning and found the water was quite coloured, so I clipped on a chatterbait, which is a vibrating lure with a colourful skirt, as I wanted something vibrant that the fish would notice easily.
“After 10 minutes I’d not had a take and so I just assumed that either the fish weren’t there or my approach was wrong. I decided to switch to crankbaits to cover more water, and apart from catching two perch between 1lb and 2lb, I was mostly reeling in weed.
“So, with there being so much weed about I made yet another change and switched to my trusty Olivette Rig with a pearl-coloured stickbait mounted on a weedless hook.

“All I’d done was thread a Drennan Lock & Slide olivette on to my line which allowed me to adjust the distance between the weight and hook without cutting the line. The stickbait is also buoyant, which can be effective in weedy areas.
“I cast the lure out and fished it almost static – letting it rise through the water column before twitching the olivette back towards me.
“It took only a few casts before a very heavy fish smashed into the lure just as it rose above the weed. My legs turned to jelly and, to make matters worse, the fish rolled on the surface immediately and I could see that it was a big perch and not a pike!
“At 4lb 6oz she wasn’t the heaviest perch I’ve ever caught but one of the longest at 50cm!
“I’m pretty sure it will be well over 5lb come February. The catch certainly proved that it pays to have a few lure options with you on the day.”