If you think pole fishing is a method for small fish, James Lewis has proved you can catch specimen fish using one. Last week, he was accompanied by friend James Champkin, with the pair heading down to a small commercial stillwater to try to hunt down its low stock of rather special perch. That they did, landing this giant 5lb 1oz perch on the pole.
“I come from a match angling background, and I fish and help to run competitions on a regular basis. As such, I have confidence in pole fishing, and have used the tactic for perch in the past with success on both natural and man-made waters."
“When it comes to fishing accurately, the pole offers such an advantage. You can place your hookbait bang over the top of your feed and tight to any feature."
“But perhaps an even bigger advantage it offers is the movement it enables you to impart into your hookbait. We know that perch respond to a moving bait, so being able to give your hookbait a bit of life is a massive edge."
“So, the pole was my tactic of choice – the next step was getting my rigs right. I planned to fish worm hookbaits, and to make the most of their movement when I lifted the rig, I chose a ‘double bulk’ rig and a longish 10ins hooklink."
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“The double bulk rig involves, as the name suggests, one bulk of shot in the bottom third of the rig and a second, smaller one, nearer the hook."
“The latter gives an anchor point for the worm hookbait to flutter back against, so it falls enticingly as my hooklink straightens out. The slightly longer hooklink also maximises its falling time."
“I went for a 0.5g float – a fairly light float to use in the 6ft-deep swim. This had a slim profile and a narrow, 1.5mm bristle – all of which minimises resistance to a taking fish."
“Commercial waters are often home to large numbers of carp and bream, as we found on the first day of our trip, when we were pestered by plenty of both."
“On the second day I moved to a likely-looking swim featuring an overhanging tree, which I could fish tight to with the pole. I fed lightly with chopped worms and prawns, which I introduced via a wet ball of Terre de Somme (leam) to ensure the feed would reach the bottom in a tight area."
“Just 15 minutes after dropping my hookbait over the top, I received a slow bite that moved the float closer to the tree, and thumped into what I thought initially was a carp."
“The fish bored hard for the snag but, with my heart racing, I applied side strain and turned the fish, at which point I saw a flash of red as a huge perch rolled on the surface."
“As I pushed the pole-tip to the sky, the fish surfaced quickly and I managed to scoop it up first time."
“At 5lb 1oz, it’s a new PB and testament to the effectiveness of the pole. While they can be expensive bits of kit, I had this fish from a spot around 8m out, which you could easily reach with an affordable margin pole."
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