It was less than three weeks ago that we reported on Rikki Cooper's incredible session at Grafham Water, which saw him bank a huge perch weighing 5lb 6oz. That day also produced another five impressive fish, along with a string of quality back-ups, completing a session he thought would be impossible to beat.
Well, somehow, on his most recent trip afloat on the perch super-water, Rikki enjoyed arguably one of the greatest perch sessions the UK has ever seen. Fishing with his good friend Kevin Meggison, the duo decided to target the same areas as on their previous visit, but this time the fish were somehow even bigger.
During the day, Rikki went on to catch perch of 5lb 11oz, 5lb 6oz, and 5lb 1oz, along with five more over the 4lb mark, in what can only be described as a staggering feat of angling.
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“After the previous visit, I really felt we had the tactics right, and conditions looked even better this time around, so, we were confident we might be able to catch a few good fish throughout the day,” Rikki told us.
“I'm still having trouble trying to comprehend what actually happened! The fishing was exceptional, and the perch we caught were simply mind-blowing and with every cast they just kept getting bigger and bigger,” he explained.
Tactics remained the same as those Rikki has used throughout his perch fishing campaign at Grafham this season, comprising small 5cm soft plastic lures fished on a dropshot setup. Dropping the lures to the bottom, he allows the boat to drift on the wind, causing the lures to slowly trundle along allowing him to cover as much water as possible in search of feeding fish.
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Over the course of the day, Rikki landed perch weighing 4lb 14oz, 4lb 10oz, 4lb 7oz, 4lb 4oz, and 4lb 2oz, in addition to his three five-pounders. Considering that a perch over 4lb is the fish of a lifetime for most anglers, this haul highlights just how extraordinary the session was, a testament to Rikki's effort and time spent perfecting his approach on such a pressured venue.
“I don’t think I’ll ever experience a day like that again,” he admitted.
“While I’ve caught more perch in a session before, the average size of the fish this time was simply incredible.
"I’m almost certain a 6lb fish lives in the reservoir, so I’ll keep trying, but even if it never happens, I’ll still be over the moon with what I’ve been lucky enough to experience recently,” he concluded.
