Giant Norfolk chub...on a lure!
FEW hardy souls target winter chub on lures, but judging by this 7lb 10oz fish banked by Savage Gear team member Robbie Northman on a 5.5cm Cannibal Shad lure, maybe they should.
Targeting Norfolk’s River Bure, Robbie found it in perfect nick during a mild spell after weeks of snow.
“I was working my tiny lure through a bankside slack when I felt a sudden thump on the rod,” he told us.
“I struck instantly, and the fish took off powerfully across the current.
“I could tell it was a big one, and at 7lb 10oz it broke my previous PB by 8oz.”
Robbie Northman’s 7lb 10oz chub fell to a lure
Huge canal perch in the snow - Nick Wright
“IT WAS a very cold day down my local canal. However, after seeing someone feeding bread to the ducks, I suspected that there might be a few bait fish in the area, and some larger predators.
“I had a few casts with my lure before feeling a heavy thud on the rod. The fish fought deep, and I expected it to be a pike. But then I saw this huge perch, and when it hit the net, I couldn’t believe it.
“I’ve had big perch before, but this was something else! Sadly, I was on my own and had to ask a dog walker for a pic, so it’s not the best shot – but it’s a fish I don’t think I’ll ever top!”
Nick Wright’s 5lb 1oz perch fell to a Texas-rigged Z-Man Goat lure
Homemade lure tricks big Trent zander
After a busy week at work, predator angler Andrei Adomnicai was rewarded with this immaculate
15lb 2oz zander from the River Trent.
Fishing in freezing conditions with a high river, the odds were against him, but perseverance paid off.
He told us:
“After an early 6lb pike I fished on through the cold. Suddenly, the lure was hit by what felt like a lorry and my heart started racing. The fish stayed deep, and after a good battle my friend netted a 15lb 2oz zander – caught on a 10cm homemade lure.”
Andrei Adomnicai – 15lb 2oz zander
Target achieved with a 4lb-plus river perch - Ryan Dabbs
“This winter I challenged myself to catch a 4lb river perch, and over the last three weeks things started to go to plan, as I banked five two-pounders and a ‘three’.
“During my latest session, though, all the stars aligned and I achieved my target with a 4lb 3oz PB!
“I was bouncing a Z-Man TicklerZ lure along the bottom when it was nailed out of nowhere. The fight was incredible and at first I thought I was attached to a pike. I had to follow it upstream, but luckily I had my friend Sam with me who grabbed the net.
“After three minutes or so the fish surfaced and we both looked at each other in awe – the sheer size of it was a sight to behold and it only just fitted into my net!
“We hoisted her up on the scales and when the needle went past the magical 4lb mark I was shaking! A few snaps later and she swam off strongly.”
Ryan Dabbs – 4lb 3oz perch
Monster chub falls to lure in high water - Robert Onicala
“I recently had a morning free before I had to work in the afternoon, so I decided to nip out to the Great Ouse beforehand to do a bit of lure fishing.
“The river was running high and coloured, so I knew it was going to be hard work, but I figured I’d give it a go anyway.
“Because I could only really fish the slacks close to the bank, I attached a 2ins Keitech Easy Shiner lure to a weedless hook to avoid snagging up, and began roving the bank.
“I got off to a great start and banked a number of small pike and perch before eventually hooking into something more substantial.
“At first I thought it was a bigger pike, but then this monster chub surfaced… and the panic immediately set in as I tried to land it as quickly as possible!
“I was really pleased with the result, because I’d spent most of the summer trying to catch a big chub but caught nothing that could compare to the size of this beast!”
Robert Onicala – 6lb 4oz chub
Could this be Britain's largest ever lure-caught pike?
A PREDATOR angler has banked what’s thought to be one of the largest UK pike ever to fall to a lure.
The impressive 45lb 11oz specimen was landed by Dan Hill (29) during a session with his friend Steve at a private stillwater.
Dan Hill and his 45lb 11oz lure-caught pike
The pair had taken several big fish from the venue over the past four years, but nothing to compare with Dan’s new 127cm-long personal best, which falls just over 1lb short of the current British record.
Dan said:
“After a bad day at work I planned to meet Steve down at the lake for 3.30pm and couldn’t wait to chuck some lures about. After clipping on my favourite white mouse lure, I cast it around 40 yards out, let it sink for 10 seconds, and it was taken instantly by this huge fish... which pulled me two feet closer to the water when I set the hooks!
“The lake is crystal clear, so we could both see it was massive from the off and Steve just kept telling me to take my time. When it finally folded into the bottom of the net I was a trembling mess.”
The Doncaster angler owes the success of his catch to his trusty mouse lure, which has since been encased with a plaque to commemorate the achievement!
Following the capture, Dan ‘retired’ his favourite white Miuras Mouse lure
Remarkable perch haul with nine over 4lb - Joe Atkinson
“After success on a southern reservoir, I was keen to get back again and target its monster perch. The first couple of hours were spent trying to locate them on the sounder and I eventually I found some fish on a drop-off. I lowered down my drop shot rig with a rubber fry lure, and received a delicate tap on the rod.
“I struck straight away and made a solid connection, which was followed by the unmistakable headshakes of a big perch.
“At 4lb 10oz, it meant I had accomplished my goal for the trip, but little did I know what lay in store for the rest of the day, because I ended up landing 15 more perch, with nine of them going over the 4lb barrier! It was another session that will stay with me forever.”
Joe Atkinson and his biggest perch of 4lb 10oz
Lure smashed by dream pike
CASTING his lure tight to a far-bank reedbed was the winning approach for Stephen Ayres’ dream 36lb 5oz pike.
The fine specimen set a personal best for the Norfolk predator enthusiast, who struck into ‘the fish of a lifetime’ during a roving session at a local lake.
He added:
“Just a few winds after casting out to the reedbed the lure was smashed into, but it was only when it surfaced that I realised just how special this pike was.”
Stephen Ayres – 36lb 5oz pike
"Some of the best river perch fishing I've ever had" - Brad Pearson
“My mum bought me some Korum Squirmz lures for my birthday, so I got up early one morning and went over to the Great Ouse to try them out.
“I headed to a spot where I’d caught them from before, and over the next few hours I experienced probably the best perch fishing I’ve ever had! On my first cast into a deep channel I had a perch of around 8oz, and they just kept getting bigger.
“I quickly had five two-pounders, followed by the two ‘threes’, which really made me panic and reach for the net when I saw them in the clear water!
“After 30 minutes I’d lost count of how many I’d had but the total weight must have been well over 20lb.”
Brad Pearson with his 3lb and 3lb 9oz perch brace
Lure fools a big stillwater perch - Karol Lis
“At the weekend I paid a visit to a local lake in Bedfordshire , where my goal was to just catch a perch of any size on a lure.
“It was a cold and foggy morning which, while slightly uncomfortable for me, were perfect conditions to lure-fish for perch.
“After spending a bit of time walking around the lake making a few casts, I eventually arrived at a tree with a branch that had broken off into the water.
“I made a couple of casts as close to it as I dared and all of a sudden something big smashed my lure.
“A few seconds later I saw it was a huge perch and from then on it was a mad scramble to get it into the net.
“Thankfully, it went in first time and after just an hour of fishing I’d caught a perch that far exceeded my expectations at dead on 4lb.”
Karol Lis - 4lb perch
Biggest lure caught pike of the season is landed at Chew
A PERCH imitation lure has produced the largest reported pike of the season so far at 37lb 8oz.
The remarkable specimen was a new personal best by nearly 10lb for its captor, Andrew McNicholas, who watched as the pike engulfed his lure just feet from the boat during a trip to Chew Reservoir.
He said:
“This pike frightened the life out of me when it came up, took the lure then dived back down to the depths – causing my clutch to scream!”
Andrew McNicholas and his 37lb 8oz pike, which fell to a perch imitation lure
"The nicest-looking perch I’ve ever caught" - Dan Eaves
“HAVING only caught one perch during a previous trip to Grafham Water (albeit 4lb 4oz), I decided to have one more session on there to try and locate some more.
“Despite conditions being ideal, the day turned out to be another struggle and I couldn’t make any breakthrough!
“With only 30 minutes of fishing time left, I persevered with an Inspired Angling Magic Worm lure presented on a Ned rig and cast it out.
“Suddenly my line tightened, and I was in! The fight wasn’t as intense as the last one, but it turned out to be a 4lb 3oz perch – probably the nicest-looking one I’ve ever caught.”
Dan Eaves and his 4lb 3oz Grafham perch
After work session produces huge canal perch
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.”
Adam Jones and his new PB 4lb 7oz perch
Perch trip of a lifetime!
JOE Atkinson hit the perch jackpot when he boated eight specimens over 4lb to 5lb 3oz. Targeting an undisclosed stillwater, the 29-year-old drop-shotted a 6.5cm Neprovlak.sk perch imitation.
“On my first cast I hooked into a PB of 5lb 3oz,” Joe said.
“Over the next hour-and-a half, I had the trip of a lifetime – landing perch of 4lb 13oz, 4lb 11oz, 4lb 10oz, 4lb 6oz, 4lb 5oz and two at 4lb 3oz.”
Joe Atkinson with his new pb perch of 5lb 3oz perch
Blank session avenged with giant reservoir perch - Clint Rice
“A MONTH ago I suffered a blank at Grafham Water, but I was determined to head back and redeem myself.
“My boat partner Dan Eaves and I spent the morning and early afternoon exploring different areas with nothing to show for our efforts, despite trying a number of lures and presentations.
“Late in the day we spotted a shoal of fry on the fish finder so I decided to mimic them by drop shotting a Savage Gear Dying Minnow lure.
“All of a sudden I felt a heavy thud on my line and I was in! After a fantastic fight the fish surfaced – it was the biggest perch I’d ever seen!
“Dan safely netted the fish and I was amazed to hear ‘exactly 4lb’ being read, which smashed my previous PB. Two other perch of 3lb 11oz and 3lb 12oz followed, transforming a tough day into a magical one.”
Clint Rice 4lb perch
Tough lure session ends with shock big perch - Adam Melton
“When lure fishing for autumn perch, I prefer to target the deeper water in the middle of a river, but by fishing a small slack during my latest trip to the River Thames I managed to bank a new personal best.
“It had rained extensively for the two days leading up to the session, so when I got to the banks at 9.30am I was greeted by relatively high water with poor clarity – but I’d caught in conditions like this before on creature baits. After tying on a crayfish-imitation lure to a 5g jighead, I began casting into the middle of the river.
“For an hour I roved along the bank, making loads of casts to areas I’d caught from before, but never managed a bite. The flow was just too strong – I couldn’t hold bottom and my lure was being dragged all over the place.
“By 10.45am I’d clipped on a ned-rigged Z-Man TRD lure (one of my favourite patterns) but even that failed to draw a response.
“I contemplated calling it a day, but by that point I was near a road bridge with a concrete wall leading up to it. The wall had a 3ft-wide slack area in front of it, with the main flow on the outside, which was now boiling. The slack gave me the best possible chance of presenting my lure well, so I decided to give it a go for 15 minutes before heading home. I flicked the lure out parallel to the bank, jigged it along the bottom a couple of times, then it was fish on!
“It was only 20cm long, but it was a good result on a tough day. After slipping it back I made the same cast, followed by another couple of twitches, before there was a thud on the line.
“I set the hook into a really powerful fish which stripped line and headed into the main flow. Judging from the surge of energy, I thought it was a pike, but the murky water meant I couldn’t be sure. You can imagine my shock when the fish surfaced and I saw stripes and a fat white belly!
“She went in the net at the first time of asking and straight away I knew I’d beaten my old PB of 3lb 6oz. After weighing and measuring her I got a few quick snaps before slipping her back.
“It just goes to show that even when the river looks out of sorts, there are still areas where you can catch the fish of a lifetime!”
Adam Melton’s 4lb 7oz perch
Reconditioned boat helps find a monster PB perch - Mark Hewett
“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
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!”
Richard Bedder – 4lb 10oz perch
Google maps reveals spot of longest perch I've ever seen - Brett Davies
“After spending a long time on Google Maps scoping potential perch-holding areas on a new river, my girlfriend Derian and I decided to drive from our South Wales home for a four-hour lure session.
“I knew the stretch also held some zander, so when I struck into a powerful fish that’s what I’d thought I’d hooked.
“I’d just cast out my pearl Z-man TicklerZ lure, twitched it back then let it pause for a moment when it was suddenly annihilated by something big. The take bent my rod double and I didn’t even see the fish for the first 30 seconds.
“Then this big striped shape popped up and I could see it was the longest perch I’d ever encountered. I performed the quickest ‘net job’ of my life and it was panic over – 3lb 5oz!”
Brett Davies – 3lb 5oz perch
Giant reservoir perch banked in tough conditions
Bright, still conditions didn’t prevent Thomas Finney from landing this stunning 4lb 12oz perch from Cambridgeshire’s Grafham Water.
Thomas knew there was an abundance of small baitfish that threatened to preoccupy his targets.
“I tried drop shotting and casting larger lures without success, so I set up another rod and rigged a small shad in pear silver on a 15g jig head,” he revealed.
“First cast produced a 20lb 8oz pike.
“An hour later I felt another heavy thump on the lure, the rod hooped over and a dogged battle commenced, with me praying that it was a perch and not a trout.
“Soon, a lump of a perch broke surface, barely hooked in the top lip. I got the net under it and immediately it shook the hook free.
“It was enormous. I knew instantly it was going to beat my 4lb 4oz PB that I’d set at Grafham on the fly two months ago. I know I’ll have a hard time beating this one!”
Thomas Finney and 4lb 12oz perch from Grafham Water