Perch anglers look primed for another memorable winter on England’s reservoirs if the glut of huge fish reported over the past few weeks is anything to go by. The biggest of the lot, by some distance, is this magnificent perch weighing 5lb 4oz, which was caught by Ryan Hayden.
He landed it, alongside others of 4lb 6oz, 4lb 3oz, and 4lb 2oz, plus two ‘threes’, using lure tactics during a recent session afloat.
“Perch were the first species I targeted when I started specimen fishing, so a five-pounder is my dream fish,” Ryan told us.
“Landing it achieves a lifetime goal, and although I caught one a pound bigger from Holland last year, this fish tops it, those from British waters are just that bit more special.”
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The start of Ryan’s session was slow, to say the least –in fact he ended the morning with nothing at all to show for his efforts.
“I kicked off fishing crankbaits in shallow water where I’d caught a few fish previously, but that was a total waste of time,” he revealed.
“It was a windy day, so there were only two other predator boats on the water, and I was able to move around and target different places.”
In one spot, Ryan noticed a dozen fish on the screen of his side scanner, and started catching soon after.
“First cast I had one of 3lb 5oz, and over the next two hours, the fishing was manic,” he said.
“They were in 20ft of water, and they all felt big when I hooked them. When the ‘five’ surfaced, I was amazed at the size of it."
“The fish was a bit of a freak compared to its shoal mates, and incredibly thick across the back. You could barely get your hand over it!”
Tactically, Ryan opted to use very small lures, switching between 4cm and 7.5cm patterns, offered on a simple drop shot rig.
“These fish here are heavily pressured and see lots of large lures flying past them. Scaling down kept the bites coming,” he added.
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