THE Thames is right up there with Britain’s very best rivers for specimen fish, and 14-year-old George Lovell tapped into its extraordinary stocks when he banked this superb 4lb 8oz perch on a session last week.
Targeting a stretch in Berkshire, Reading-based George roved between several spots throughout the day that he’d primed earlier with a scattering of red maggots.
After arriving in a swim near a lock where he’d lost a good perch last year, George began by floatfishing a worm and maggot cocktail tight to the bankside wall. But, having seen a group of small fry scatter across the surface, he shallowed up his rig and cast it into the melee, and it wasn’t long before a slow bite developed.
After he struck and set the hook, the big perch charged upriver and fought well in the flow before George was finally able to slip the net under his new personal best.
