Big Perch- PB to heartbreak....

Back in the middle of October I had a successful session on a Midlands Reservoir with Andy, Giles and Kev; landing my biggest perch to date at 3-01. We covered a large amount of water, varying tactics suiting the location to target zander, pike and perch. I am very much looking forward to meeting up again with these guys when the reservoirs reopen again. 

Arriving back home my curiosity drew me to a couple of waters closer to home to drop a few rubber shad and worms in. Armed with the drop shot gear I focused solely on structures, features and deeper holes off the rod tip. Starting early morning I picked up a few small fish straight away...the classic tap tap bang. Having only 2 hours to play with before family commitments needed to take priority I had a couple of casts in each swim before briskly moving to another feature working my way down the water. Using a double hook rig with lob worm on the top and bottom hook it was the bottom worm that was getting the attention, hammering small perch after one and other. Heading back towards the car after 2 hours I chanced on a few snags and features close to where I had parked, jigging the worms I could see through the polaroids a number of small perch were make no attempt to strike at the worm and as quick as I had dropped into the swim the fish moved off. This is were time on the water and watercraft come into their own. Crouched over in a stealth like pose looking like Stevie Wonder with my polaroids over the top of my everyday glasses I was expecting a pike to glide through the swim. With all the prey fish departing it was as if moses had poked his stick into the sea to part the water! From beneath a feature surrounded by tall weed a dark broad backed perch glided out into the open water and without hesitation, mouthed the worm and moved back under the snag. It was that gut wrenching feeling, heart racing and feet fixed to the bank that I thought that would be my only chance but after a swift recast she moved out again engulfing the worm on the top hook. All hell broke loose as I set the hook and played the fish for around 30 seconds as I bent down for the net she managed to bolt into some dense weed away from the feature and the disadvantage of fishing the double hook rig was realised. She shook the hook and truly stuck 2 V’s up at me as a huge boil erupted to the surface. With head in hands I had just lost the biggest perch I had ever seen and it look and felt every bit a good 3 dare I say more. The dreaded drive home followed as I cursed most of the way trying to take some positives from what had just happened…...decent size perch located, no hesitation on the bait, rig lessons learnt.

I ventured back out to the same feature several mornings following losing the fish but had no joy in locating any big old perch. I change approach for several mornings and drop some live baits under the feature…..instinct told me that she hasn't got that big eating a low protein diet so must be a fry eating machine! And so I fast forward to February 2017- the local perch target was not to be and so rolls over to next October where I think a short pre-baiting campaign may be the answer to draw the fish to an area.