Joe Atkinson has landed a stunning 6lb 6oz perch from Grafham Water, eclipsing the current British record and potentially making angling history.
The biggest perch ever reported from these shores was landed last week in the shape of a stunning 6lb 6oz specimen.
Caught by Joe Atkinson, the remarkable fish is 3oz over the current record, held jointly by Neill Stephen and Ken Brown since 2011.
It was banked from the bang in-form Grafham Water, in Cambridgeshire, which only opened to lure anglers on September 1 and, far from being a shock, it’s a record that many experts predicted was likely to fall before too long, such was the form of the vast stillwater last winter, when it produced numerous upper five-pound perch.
Light dropshot tactics did the trick for Joe, who has enjoyed a great run of fishing this year, having landed a 7lb 8oz chub back in January.
Finding the fish
The trip was Joe’s second to Grafham this season, with the first resulting in a 4lb 12oz perch, plus three other ‘fours’.
“I fished it only once last winter, but around five years ago I enjoyed great fishing at Grafham, catching lots of high two-pounders and some ‘threes’,” he told us.
“It seems that year class of fish have grown on and are now a phenomenal average size.”
This time around Joe was fishing with a friend, and the pair set off in the morning, heading to the area where Joe had previously tasted success.
“We fished for around three hours and had one possible tap, so decided to head to the Valve Tower,” Joe revealed.
“We travelled along the shore, looking for baitfish, but my echo sounder isn’t the best and we saw very little, so we targeted the area around the tower itself. Things were quiet for the first hour-and-a-half, and we were considering a move, when the fish suddenly switched on and we landed six in 45 minutes, including several four-pounders.
“A few other anglers moved in and the action slowed, so we headed back up to where we started, near a different tower.”
Hooking history
On arrival at the new spot, Joe and his friend saw one other boat in the area, fishing next to the fancied tower.
“We gave them some space and, an hour later, when they moved on, we dropped into where they had been fishing,” Joe added. “My mate soon had a fish and then I landed a lovely 4lb 14oz specimen, which put up a great fight.
“On my very next cast with a two-inch dropshot lure I then hooked something that stripped line from the reel, making 20-yard runs. My mate and I were laughing — he didn’t think it could be a perch, but from the fight, I felt like it had to be.
“When the fish rose from the depths and surfaced, we both said something unprintable.
“I had just released the 4lb 14oz fish – but this one was in a different league!
“Once it was netted, I was lost for words. And when we weighed it, I was stunned – just saying the words ‘6lb 6oz perch’ makes me feel sick!”
Key to Joe’s approach is fishing with very small lures – he alternates between NED rigs and dropshots, both of which he retrieves slowly, with tiny twitches of the rod.
“The baitfish in Grafham seem large this year. Around the boat moorings we could see fry around four inches long,” he explained.
“But it seems that something smaller, and more subtle, produces on the lure front. That’s what I’ve always done well with on here.”
Will it become 'official'?
Joe plans to submit a claim for the title to the British Record Fish Committee (BRFC), although their verdict is one we’ll await intently. Back in 2010 Mike Dolan had a 22lb zander (incidentally also from Grafham Water) rejected as it was weighed while the angler was still afloat.
Regardless of the outcome, it’ll take a lot to bring Essex-based Joe down though, as his aim this autumn was simply to catch a big perch – a target he had reached well before landing the six-pounder.
“The ‘fours’ were big enough for me! My goal was a large perch, and I was more than happy with those from the last trip,” he added.
“My mate has asked if we should go back to Grafham, but to be honest, I’m pretty content with my perch fishing for now. My plan this season, after the perch, was to try for one of the big barbel from the River Lea. So, I think I’ll start a little earlier on those and hope to manage another good result before the season’s end!”