Reservoir perch rips line off the spool - Dan Eaves

“With bright sunshine, high winds and warm temperatures forecast for my visit to Grafham Water, I knew I’d have to work hard for a bite. Despite trying the Ned rig, drop shot, jigs and crankbaits, though, I still had nothing to show for my efforts by lunchtime. 

“When the going gets tough I’ve found a black Ned-rigged worm imitation from Inspired Angling Products can pick up a bite, so I persevered with that.

“At 2pm we’d moved to a new area of the water away from other anglers and started working our lures along the bottom.

“Because the boat was rocking around so much due to the wind, I didn’t need to impart much action into the lure, as the motion was doing it for me.

“Out of nowhere my rod suddenly arched over and line started ripping off my spool!

“Once I gained control and wound the fish to the surface I was gobsmacked to see a perch – and not a small one either! My boat partner Clint Rice safely netted the fish and this feeling of relief came over me.”

Dan Eaves 4lb 4oz Grafham perch fell to a worm imitation

Bumper perch haul result of twist on a popular tactic

Andy Lewis had a day to remember when he banked no fewer than 80 perch during a recent session, including numerous fish over the 2lb mark topped by a new personal best at 3lb 9oz.

Location was key to his success and searching around throughout the day kept the fish coming.

A twist on a popular tactic proved too much for the perch to resist:

“All fish were caught on a dropshotted lobworm,” Andy revealed,

“using a fluorocarbon leader on the end of my braided mainline.”