As with most things in life, the more effort you put into something, the more likely you are to reap the rewards, and fishing is no exception. Those anglers who go the extra mile, get up early, and try to get on the bank as much as possible despite busy lives are usually the ones who catch the most and the biggest fish.
One angler who can testify to this mantra is Taylor McCrossan, who set himself the target of catching a 4lb perch from his local canal five years ago. Despite the target eluding him for so long, he has fished the canal as much as possible, with early starts and late nights, walking miles upon miles of canal and using various methods to try and track down the fish he so desperately wanted to catch.
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"A 4lb perch on my local canal is a fish of a lifetime, and I must admit, despite the effort I was putting in, I thought it was going to elude me forever," Taylor told us.
"This week, however, that all changed. I went out with a bucket full of small roach to a spot I had been keeping my eye on for a while but had never actually fished."
"I cast my small roach livebait out to a moored boat on a small Drennan Bobber float, and just as the light was fading, it slid away."
"As I struck, the most enormous perch I had ever seen came out from underneath the boat with my roach hanging out of its mouth."
Unfortunately for Taylor, the perch managed to spit the roach he was using for bait and swam back under the sanctuary of the boat, leaving him devastated. All night, the perch was etched in his memory, and he knew he had to return to try and better the huge fish he had tangled with.
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"I spoke to my friend Zach Cooper, and he was keen to join me for the session. After managing to collect some more baits, I was due to meet him at the spot."
"After arriving at the spot, it was a race to see who could get their rod out quickest, but luckily, Zach was running late. I got to the spot a good half-hour before him, and before he even had his rod set up, my 5-gram bobber was already bobbing away beautifully."
"Within five minutes of Zach arriving, I had a bite, and unbelievably, I lost the fish after a few headshakes."
"Undeterred, I got the rod back out, and it had barely hit the water when I was away again. This time, a firm strike saw me connect with a huge perch, and we managed to steer it into the net."
The 4lb 8oz perch they had just landed was only the start of the action, as Taylor went on to bank another two fish, weighing 4lb 4oz and 4lb exactly, ending his five-year wait. Zach also landed a superb 3lb 8oz fish. Between them, they banked a total of 10 perch before running out of bait, ending a session neither of them will ever forget.
"After all the years chasing a 4lb perch, the miles and effort I have put in, I can't put into words what it feels like to catch three within 20 minutes of each other."
"All my fish were caught using a 5g Drennan Bobber, a 4-gram olivette, and a size 8 Gardner Target barbel specialist hook."
"Zach put me on these after losing the fish the night before and assured me the next one would come in—and it did!"
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