It was said by the late Richard Walker that perch are the biggest of all the fish, and when you see a brace of fish like the ones Dan Bouskila caught recently, it is easy to see where the sentiment of that statement lies.
Not only are perch formidable predators when they reach specimen sizes, but they look magnificent too, adding to their appeal. After repeatedly trying over the last few seasons to land a real whacker, Dan managed two giant fish in the same session for a near 10lb brace, in what is one of the best perch sessions we have seen this year!
Dan is no stranger to big fish, having caught some incredible fish over the last few seasons including a sensational 4lb grayling earlier this year, but a big perch has been a primary target for him over the years. While he is often limited on time, it doesn't stop him catching them, proving it is about how you use the time you have to go fishing that makes the difference, and that anyone can catch specimen fish if they put in the effort.
HEAD TO ONE OF THESE VENUES FOR THE CHANCE TO CATCH A GIANT PERCH YOURSELF.
"After multiple sessions on the big reservoir, and all sorts of conditions, wind, rain, sun and sleet, we arrived on a calm cloudy morning, but it was set for Gale-force winds and rain just after lunchtime so it was a race against time," Dan told us.
"These are the best conditions I had seen after at least eight sessions over two seasons, usually greeted with bad weather and trout taunting me! But today was the day, on the water around 8:30am searching around for some perch," he added.
After around half an hour of drifting over some likely looking areas, Dan received a very faint tap on his rod, which he wasted no time in striking into! He was met with a solid resistance thumping away on his lightest setup, a 3-10g lure rod, which he favours when the conditions allow, as sometimes, as was the case on this trip, the bites for these big perch can be very sensitive that they are often missed on heavier setups.
"The fight was constant as I patiently edged this tank up from the depths, and as it reached around 10 feet, I could see it was a huge rugby ball of perch! Somehow, I managed to stayed calm and my friend Ty was ready and on point with the net," Dan recalled.
"As it hit the surface, it was netted first time and we both looked at each other and knew straight away it must’ve been a four pounder!"
"After weighing it was a lot bigger than I thought, 4lb 13oz of incredible stripy madness! What do you do after such an event? Well I carried on fishing of course, but I didn't think it could get much better than that," Dan joked.
Another thirty minutes had passed since the huge fish was released and the pair continued to fish hard, both talking animatedly about the monster perch that had just graced their boat. By now, the fair weather window the anglers were fishing in was beginning to fade, giving way to much worse conditions and they were fully aware they wouldn't have long on the water. Just as they were discussing when they might want to head in, Dan received a much more positive bite and he was in again!
"An incredible fight followed again, much the same as the previous battle,I could see a huge shape down in the depths, only this time it was somehow bigger than the last one," he said.
"Ty was on standby and surgically netted this beautiful specimen at the first chance!! I think I’m known for being pretty hyper on the bank, needless to say I couldn’t contain my excitement. Being a big guy I looked like a clown jumping about on a small boat, which in hindsight probably wasn't the safest thing to do, but I was overwhelmed."
"After weighing, the magnificent fish went 5lb on the nose. What an incredible day what and incredible session in the making after all the hard work an unbelievable turn of events," Dan concluded.
HERE ARE SOME GREAT TIPS ON CHOOSING THE RIGHT LURES FOR PERCH FISHING.
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