Snags home to giant Lea perch - Simon Baker
“I was overjoyed to catch this 4lb 4oz perch – my second over four of the season.
“Fishing the River Lea, I targeted a slack in the stretch tight against a nearside snag, where I suspected perch mught be hanging out.
“I had a few sharp taps on the top and struck into what I first thought was a pike! A hectic fight followed, as the fish tried to head back into the snags next to where I hooked it.
“When it rolled on the surface I knew it was another huge perch, and I was so pleased to get it in the net. A small roach livebait fished on a sunken paternoster rig did the trick.”
Simon Baker – 4lb 4oz perch
Huge Ribble perch in the snow! - Dominik Chrobak
“On a cold, snowy morning I decided on a trip to Lancashire’s stunning River Ribble – a venue always capable of throwing up a surprise.
“A juicy lobworm was the bait of choice, and about half-an-hour after setting up I noticed a knock on my rod-tip before line started peeling off the reel.
“I struck into a fish that went on several powerful runs, diving for every snag and putting up a belting fight. When it finally surfaced my heart started pounding – it was a magnificent perch.
“Weighing in at 4lb 2oz, it’s my personal best and a fish that I’ll remember for a lifetime. All those cold mornings this winter were worth it.”
Dominik Chrobak and his 4lb 2oz perch
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
7lb-plus UK perch "on the horizon" say experts
LATE last autumn the angling world was rocked by the capture of a record-breaking 6lb 4oz perch, the latest in a long line of huge stripeys to be reported over the past few seasons.
During that time specimens over 4lb have become relatively common, with two- and three-pounders barely getting a mention in despatches. As impressive as this ‘new normal’ for the species has become, experts believe that even larger specimens prowl in our waters, thriving on a perfect storm of environmental conditions and a ready supply of food.
Experts believe that even larger specimens prowl in our waters
Thriving populations
Perch are arguably the most accessible of our native coarse species, found everywhere from vast open lakes to muddy canals.
Scroll back 50 years, though, and the situation was far different. Ravaged by a virulent disease, they were pushed to the brink of existence. So how have they made such a remarkable recovery?
Kye Jerrom, Senior Fisheries Officer at the Environment Agency, revealed that a number of factors have contributed to their success. He said:
“We’ve been monitoring perch populations since 1975, and since then there’s been a substantial increase in not only their numbers, but also their size.
“Many of our coarse fish populations have flourished in recent years, aided by excellent spawning success due to the recent long, warm summers.
“As a result, there’s plenty of food for perch, and in the correct environment they can display exceptional growth.”
This ‘correct environment’ ideally features – alongside an abundance of prey fish – a lack of other predators for competition, little angling pressure, and good water clarity. When all these factors come together, alarming growth rates have been witnessed, as Kye went on to reveal.
“Analysis we’ve done in such conditions showed that perch can grow to over 15cm in their first year and to over 3lb in weight in less than four years. For a species that lives for around eight years, this leaves plenty of time for them to reach record proportions.”
Perch can grow to over 3lb in weight in less than four years
All the rage
But there are other reasons why we’re seeing so many big perch being caught today, as Andy Cheetham, chairman of the Perchfishers club, told us.
“It’s been many years since they were wiped out by disease, so right now they’re at the peak of their recovery, resulting in bigger fish and larger populations. Add to this the fact that lure angling has soared in popularity, with thousands of anglers now at it, and that lure fishing is a great way to single out the biggest perch, and it’s little surprise that we’re seeing so many big fish being caught. Perch have also become quite a ‘trendy’ fish, with ever more carpers fishing for them over the winter months.”
Andy Cheetham with a fine 5lb 11oz perch from a Midlands river
A rosy future
Nobody can fail to be impressed by pictures of Matt Atkins’ potential new British record of 6lb 4oz, banked in October 2020, but Andy Cheetham believes even bigger fish are on the cards… if they haven’t been banked already.
“I certainly think there are bigger fish on the horizon, and have actually been told of fish to over 7lb having been caught in this country. You have to remember that many anglers don’t report catches nowadays, especially from a water that’s on form. Perch are cyclical and may fade from a venue for years before suddenly reappearing, so people like to make the most of quality fishing while it’s there – without competition from other anglers.
“The best perch fishing I ever experienced came from a stretch of river most people had given up on. I hit on a small group of very big fish, and over a five-year period I landed 11 four-pounders and five fish over 5lb,” Andy added.
Matt Atkins’ potential new British record of 6lb 4oz
Overseas example
With the average stamp of perch in the UK on the rise, the question remains whether one day the nation’s specimen hunters could be catching fish of five, even six pounds, with some regularity.
Across the North Sea in the Netherlands, fishing like that is already on offer, and Dutch specialist Tim Janssen firmly believes the UK could one day witness a similar level of sport because all the necessary foundations are in place.
“One of the reasons we have big perch is because of our big river systems connected to large gravel pits,” Tim explained.
“These are filled with clear, healthy water as well as loads of small bait fish for the perch to hunt, as well as a fish we call the ‘donal grondel’ (a small freshwater goby), and millions of crayfish.
“The UK has gravel pits with a good balance of food and clear and healthy water, so perhaps one day the perch should reach a similar level to ours.”
Whilst Britain does indeed have large gravel pits, they’re not on the same scale as those found in Holland, and most are not connected to rivers. Perhaps the closest we have to this model is the Norfolk Broads and, interestingly, that is a county that was geographically connected to Holland some 10,000 years ago. With the Broads already known to have produced perch to over 5lb in recent seasons to publicity-shy anglers, and with a rising number of crayfish and an abundance of bait fish in our waters, who knows what the future might hold?
One thing’s for sure: it’s an exhilarating time to be a British perch angler!
This huge Dutch perch of 6lb 11oz fell to Tim Janssen
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
'Perch of a lifetime' falls to livebait
Alfie Russell struck into what he described as the ‘perch of a lifetime’ when this stunning 5lb 3oz specimen engulfed his roach livebait during a recent session.
The 22-year-old Londoner first targeted his chosen southern stillwater with lures, before returning for another session and switching to legered to livebait tactics once he’d discovered a shoal of big perch were present.
“After a slow and steady take, I struck into the fish and instantly knew it was a good one as there wasn’t much headshaking going on and my 1.5lb Drennan twin tip rod was hooped right over,” he said.
“After a dogged fight she finally went into the net – I feel truly blessed to have seen a fish like that in my lifetime!”
Alfie Russell and his giant 5lb 2oz perch
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
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
Perch best saves the day!
James Champkin snatched victory from the jaws of defeat when this 4lb 7oz perch devoured his roach livebait right at the end of an otherwise blank session.
Targeting a southern lake, the 28-year-old endured several biteless hours before his left-hand rod signalled a take around 3pm.
He said:
“When a huge perch surfaced I knew I had a new PB.”
James’ rig included a sunken paternoster incorporating a size 8 Kamazan B983 hook
James Champkin and his new personal best 4lb 7oz perch
Trio of big perch on the fly! - Matt Roberts
“I headed to an Anglian Water reservoir to catch perch on the fly. A mate and I set out on the boat early and tried a spot where we’d had earlier success. The fish finder revealed a big shoal of bait fish close to the bottom, so I cast out a roach imitation fly.
“After five or so strips of the line I felt a tap followed by a heavy knock which I struck at – causing my light six-weight rod to buckle over into what I thought was a zander.
“When it surfaced I saw it was a perch! At 4lb 8oz it was 2oz off my PB. In the next hour I landed two more perch of 4lb 4oz and 3lb 8oz.”
(This catch was reported before the third England lockdown)
Matt Roberts and a 4lb 8oz perch
"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
Four perch for nearly 16lb!
LEE McManus hit the perch jackpot during his latest visit to a Midlands stillwater by catching four big stripeys for a total weight of 15lb 10oz.
By fishing half a lobworm on a running leger rig at range over a bed of chopped worm, caster and groundbait, the specimen-hunter from Leicestershire received four bites in quick succession resulting in perch of 3lb 5oz, 3lb 9oz, 4lb 1oz and 4lb 11oz.
He told us:
“The largest perch was a special fish as it beat my long-standing PB of 4lb 9oz, which I’d managed to match three times from three different venues until this session.”
Lee McManus and his biggest perch of 4lb 11oz
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
"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
New British record perch landed! - But will it be claimed?
Matt Atkins became the envy of perch fanatics nationwide when he landed this phenomenal 6lb 4oz stripey during a dawn raid at a southern stillwater.
Matt Atkins 6lb 4oz perch beats the current British record by 1oz
The 43-year-old and his friend Chris Hewett had already enjoyed a successful morning’s sport, with each landing a four-pounder, when Matt received a take just after 8am and struck into another hefty fish.
Chris and Matt had already had a dream morning with a brace of fours
He told us:
“As soon as I set the hook I could feel the heavy headshakes and said to Chris that if this wasn’t a pike, it would be a truly huge perch. After a short scrap we saw it surface and were just both speechless.
“The next few moments were a bit of a blur as I tried to keep my focus and ease the largest perch I’d ever seen over the net. That moment still hasn’t sunk in.”
The duo weighed the perch on two sets of Reuben Heaton digital scales, with each registering a weight of 6lb 4oz.
The country’s biggest perch
Despite his catch beating the official British best by 1oz, project manager Matt revealed that he won’t be submitting a claim to the British Record Fish Committee (BRFC).
“At the end of the day I’m content just knowing I’ve caught a fish of this magnitude, but ultimately I want to safeguard the venue because it has so much potential. Over the last few seasons I’ve enjoyed what’s possibly the greatest perch fishing in the country there – landing 15 fish over 4lb, of which three have been 5lb-plus.
“Now I’ve seen what it’s capable of I want to try to protect the venue more than ever.”
Matt Atkins won’t be claiming the record for this 6lb 4oz perch
Although worms and prawns are the most popular baits for big perch, Matt has enjoyed success using small roach deadbaits and a unique rig, which he explained.
“The biggest I’ve taken have all fallen for two to four-inch roach, which I pop up 2ft off the bottom using foam inserts,” he said. “The baits appear almost alive as they waft around in the water.”
Top three ratified perch records:
1 Ken Brown, 6lb 3oz, Wilstone Reservoir, September 2011
1 Neill Stephen, 6lb 3oz, Stream Valley Lakes, March 2011
3 Ricky Hilliday, 6lb, Cotswold Water Park, March 2010
Neill Stephen and his 6lb 3oz record perch in 2011
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