Simon Pavey Memorial Big Perch challenge.

[Hugh Bailey]

It’s certainly been eating well! Great fish John.

 

[John Aston]

John, apart from it not being a three, you've not stated its weight.

Ooops - it was 2-13 .

 

[pl71]

Another quality perch mate, you deserve the award for consistency alone!

 

[ian g]

I had a red letter day today , catching 22 perch today on the Severn . Mostly over 2 lb , the best 2.15 . I've really struggled to find them this winter but they were there in numbers today


I'll have a word with my lad to get some picutures up

 

[John Aston]

Cracking sport - lure or bait ? Time's running out for me to get a 3 this year - more rain , pressure on ...

 

[ian g]

IHi John , I was fishing lobworms on 2 rods , one tip rod and a float rod . Most of the fish were on the tip , also caught a bream around 5 lb on the tip . My mate was lure fishing and caught 3 decentperch as I set up but then struggled for the rest of the afternoon

 

[mikench]

Well done Ian! That result is more than worthy of the HDYGO thread. Without wishing to go off post I’m curious about catching big perch having never done so. On many of my waters both PA and BM I catch lots of perch which regularly save a blank but they are always tiddlers or 4 to 8 oz at best. I think that where there are small perch there must be big ones. I’m useless at lure fishing and soon get bored with no success so which bait and method is best to tempt the big specimens? I have tried worms on float and feeder/bomb to no avail. Is it a waiting game and am I too impatient? Are lobs better than dendros?

 

[ian g]

Hi Mike , I have mainly fished for perch on the Severn , I'm also a pretty poor lure anglers though I know a few guys who do very well on the method . My main tactic is float fishing , looking for slack water normally with a bit of depth , anywhere you think looks like it may hold perch is a likely place . I generally fish lobworms , though sometimes minnows can be great bait . I always lay on with a fairly heavy float , never really less than 4grm , I find perch much prefer a still bait . I also make sure I move the bait a little every now and again as this often produces a bite. As with most fishing finding the fish is the key , My mate and I walked along way yesterday to a spot we knew produced when the river was at the level it was yesterday . All the floods this year have made location a tricky game . I don't tend to use feeders when I fish a tip rod I just use a light lead and a soft tip , most of the fish yesterday came to the tip rod. If you ever fancy a go on the Severn let me know it would be good to meet up.

 

[mikench]

Thanks Ian. I hope to take you up on that kind offer.

 

[John Aston]

Well done Ian! That result is more than worthy of the HDYGO thread. Without wishing to go off post I’m curious about catching big perch having never done so. On many of my waters both PA and BM I catch lots of perch which regularly save a blank but they are always tiddlers or 4 to 8 oz at best. I think that where there are small perch there must be big ones. I’m useless at lure fishing and soon get bored with no success so which bait and method is best to tempt the big specimens? I have tried worms on float and feeder/bomb to no avail. Is it a waiting game and am I too impatient? Are lobs better than dendros?

Perch fishing , in my experience , is 85 % location , 10% presentation and 5% bait/lure choice. Keep on the move until you find them is my mantra. Apart from lures , I always prefer big lobs on big hooks for big perch . Typically I use 4s down to 1/0 for dropshot worm .

 

[ian g]

My mate and I where discussing the location / feeding thing yesterday . I have tended to sit in a spot I am confident in and wait for the perch to arrive or start to feed . I don't know if this works but between us we have had many occassions when a barren swim will switch on and we have caught one after another for a spell . So maybe they are are just moving through though they might have been there all the time. I generally use 6 or 4 hooks for lobs

 

[@Clive]

Perch fishing , in my experience , is 85 % location , 10% presentation and 5% bait/lure choice. Keep on the move until you find them is my mantra. Apart from lures , I always prefer big lobs on big hooks for big perch . Typically I use 4s down to 1/0 for dropshot worm .

You have far more experience than I have John. I rate it as 85% frustration!

 

[barbelboi]

After a few weeks of not taking a ‘2’ from my local rivers I was contemplating a 25 minute drive south to the Great Ouse next week when this fish turned up from a small river over the back fields this afternoon. Two perch (the other at 2.9) in a 2 hour session taken on a lob secured with a plastic maggot. The scales settled at 3.2 – not quite enough to knock John off his perch (no pun intended) but very welcome.

 

[ian g]

My best of 16 today , 3.4 well chuffed

 

[John Aston]

Grueller recently, with endless high and coloured water. I tried an hour or two today on the Swale - visibility wasn't great, perhaps 8 inches and flow strong . But in a (relative )slack , and only feet from the bank I had 4 perch to 2-8 , so result! On a black and yellow Fox Rage Spikey Shad fished on a size 1 , on a 15 g dropshot

 

[John Aston]

This is where I hoped to mention , with lots of faux humility , that I'd been lucky enough to have had the biggest perch for three years running . Hubris strikes - I had a good-ish number of 'twos' but not one three , and only one decent perch from the river that has spoiled me the last few years .

So well done Ian !

 

[Ray Roberts]

Well done Ian, your efforts were well in front of mine.

 

[ian g]

That's a beautiful fish Ray . Thanks for the kind words , I know perch fishing is 95% location and 5% luck so I was lucky this season .

 

[john step]

Well done Ian. A beautiful perch.

 

[barbelboi]

Well done Ian, your efforts were well in front of mine.

View attachment 29714

Which one's the lure Ray?