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Britain’s biggest fly-caught perch!
5lb 9oz giant is largest-ever reported in UK waters to be caught on the fly
© Tom Isgar
by Angling Times |
Published on12th November 2026 at 12.00pm
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Fly-fishing for coarse fish was once seen as an eccentric form of angling. But over recent seasons the tactic has proved to be the downfall of many weighty specimens, as Tom Isgar recently proved with this 5lb 9oz perch.
It’s the biggest example of the species ever taken using the method from UK waters, beating Andy Cheetham’s 5lb 2oz specimen landed last year.
Both fish were caught from Cambridgeshire’s big-perch Mecca, Grafham Water – a venue that attracts many lure anglers every autumn and winter.
While some of its fly-caught perch fall unintentionally to the rods of trout anglers, Tom caught his fish by design.
“The day started well, with fish after fish, but unfortunately they were all trout!” he told us. “We stayed on the move, trying to find where the perch were hiding, and later in the afternoon Matt, my boat partner, started catching them on every other cast. I, however, was struggling to get among them, so I decided to change to a 6cm baitfish pattern and to lengthen my leader a bit.”
© Andy Cheetham
It took a little while for Tom to land his fly on the right spot, but once he did, he let it sink and started his retrieve.
“Almost immediately, the line went tight and I hooked a decent fish,” said Tom, who used a seven-weight rod.
“As it came to the surface, I could see that it was a big perch, and when Matt netted it, he turned to me, and asked, ‘What’s your PB?’ I told him it was 3lb 7oz, and he immediately replied, ‘You’ve broken that then!’”
When the scales revealed a weight of 5lb 9oz, both Tom and Matt were stunned.
“It was one of those moments I’ll never forget, especially having spent the whole day searching for perch and struggling to get everything right,” Tom added.
New Jeremy Wade podcast goes live
Nearly a decade after his global hit TV show River Monsters came to an end, Jeremy Wade has returned, this time with a podcast.
The angling legend has a following like few else in fishing – River Monsters content averaged 4.77 million views a day across social media channels over this past year, despite there being no new episodes!
© Ingenium Public Relations
Now, Jeremy returns with a 20-episode weekly podcast, Fish on! With Jeremy Wade, in which he and his long-term friend, Scott Tankard, are joined by a different guest each week for stories of angling and beyond.
They revisit memorable catches, near misses and mysteries that stayed with Jeremy over his time filming River Monsters, as well as exploring travel, wildlife and conservation. “I’ve had many adventures in my life, so being able to sit down with one of my oldest friends and a new guest each week is a privilege,” Jeremy says. “I hope you learn something or feel inspired to take on your own adventure, whatever that might be.”
Fish On! With Jeremy Wade is available on a wide variety of sites, including YouTube and Spotify, with the first episode live now.
Bream bag wins SW King of Clubs
THE 2026 South West King of Clubs competition came to an end last week, and the final was won by an impressive haul of bream.
Sean O’Neill romped home on the Grand Western Canal with 39lb 12oz, well ahead of Adie McTiffin’s 15lb 15oz.
© Russell Hilton
After 14 qualifying rounds on natural venues, the 29 finalists competed in tricky conditions, with a strong northerly blowing after a cold night.
“Sean had his first bite after 45 minutes, and there was no stopping him after that,” event organiser, Russell Hilton, told us. “He fed two areas heavily with fishmeal groundbait and chopped worms, and caught a run of skimmers and bream to 4lb.” Adam Carter took third spot with 8lb 4oz of tench and silvers.
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