Big perch are formidable fish and one few anglers wouldn't love to catch. Their bold appearance and striking dorsal fin makes them stand out from the other coarse fish in the UK, and the variety of tactics you can target them with makes them appealing to anglers of all disciplines.
Due to the predatory nature of the perch, lure fishing is one of the most effective methods for catching them as 14-year-old Oliver Walker found out during a recent session to his local Lincolnshire stream. Despite only having started fishing in the last few months, he has caught some impressive fish so far, including some good pike and a 13lb barbel, but this latest 4lb 4oz perch has been the pick of the bunch.
"Since June, Oliver hasn’t missed a day on the bank. He comes home from school, gets on his bike, and heads straight to the river," dad Darren told us.
"I did try to get him into fishing when he was younger, as I love it too, but he never seemed interested. This season, though, he’s become completely hooked, and he’s already catching bigger fish than me," he added.
"This cracking perch beats my PB and is the biggest I’ve seen from our local river. Oliver caught it on a Ned rigged soft plastic lure in the margins, and I must admit, I thought it was a pike when he first hooked it!"
"It’s great getting to spend time on the bank with him, and who knows what else he’s going to catch in the coming years. He just enjoys being out there, and the size of some of the fish he’s been catching is simply a bonus."
IF YOU HAVEN'T CAUGHT A BIG PERCH, HERE ARE SOME HELPFUL TIPS.
