The biggest perch of the season has just been landed in the shape of a 5lb 11oz specimen – a fish that, in a few months’ time, will be pushing the 6lb 3oz British best.
The huge fish, caught by Rikki Cooper, was backed up by specimens of 5lb 6oz, 5lb 1oz, and a quartet of four-pounders on a day surely destined for the history books. That session was no fluke, either – just a few weeks ago, Rikki enjoyed another spectacular trip, during which he landed specimens of 5lb 5oz and 5lb 4oz, plus a number of four-pounders.
He’s been fishing Cambridgeshire’s Grafham Water, and isn’t the only angler this season to have enjoyed its exceptional perch. Many others have landed fish over the 5lb mark.
“I’m using very small lures – no bigger than 5cm – on a size 5 drop shot hook,” Rikki told Angling Times.
“Rather than sit and work the lure, I’m slowly dragging it along the bottom as the boat drifts at around half-a-mile an hour.
“My most recent session was an absolute red-letter day, and was one of the best hauls of big perch ever taken in the UK,” he added.
But could Grafham prove to be home to the next record perch? Rikki is certain that this extensive water has the potential to be just that.
“If it stayed open into February and March, when perch start developing eggs, it would probably do a record,” he told us.
“Imagine my 5lb 11oz fish holding 1lb of spawn! Now that’s some fish. Unfortunately, they shut their doors to predator fishing on January 31, but Grafham still has the potential to produce the goods before then.”
THE BEST LURE RODS WILL HELP YOU CATCH PERCH FROM ANY VENUE…
Rikki displaying the largest fish of the trip at 5lb 11oz
Bigger fish to come
Angling Times columnist Paul Garner knows Grafham Water well, and believes that, if anywhere is going to produce a British record, it’s the 1,500-acre Cambridgeshire venue.
“If it’s already doing fish of 5lb 11oz, it could definitely throw up a record,” he revealed.
“If that fish packs on weight or carries some spawn in January, it’ll be in with a shout.”
Why is the fishing currently so good at Grafham? For Paul, it’s the abundance of food available to the perch.
“When you go out in autumn with an echo sounder, you see that it’s absolutely full of young coarse fish. These are bite-sized meals for a decent-sized perch, so they’re picking up plenty of food. There’s also the killer shrimp in there, which is a great food source for the smaller perch.
“These fish are receiving a continuous source of quality food throughout their lives, which enables them to reach an exceptional size. I know that, in some of the European venues that produce huge perch, the water is often brackish and, as such, is home to shrimp that the perch thrive on.
“It seems that the growth of the fish in Grafham is being boosted in a similar way.”
FOLLOW THESE TEN GREAT TIPS IF YOU WANT TO CATCH A HUGE PERCH…
Rikki overjoyed with this 5lb 6oz perch!
The next ‘super water’
As with all exceptional venues, the fishing goes in cycles, and Paul believes that Grafham is nearing its peak for big perch.
“A few years ago, anglers were having big hits of fish on Grafham but, aside from Rikki’s haul, most of the perch catches these days are of just a few very large fish,” Paul said. “The fishing seems to be very ‘spotty’, and you’ve got to be right on them to have a chance of catching.
“Pitsford Water was the same a few years ago, and while it didn’t produce fish to the size of Grafham’s, it went from being easy fishing for ‘twos’ and ‘threes’ to very hard fishing for four-pounders. That tailed off, but new waters are always emerging.”
Where could the next perch ‘super water’ be? Paul has a few ideas on the subject.
“Farmoor Reservoir in Oxfordshire has produced big perch over recent years, but I believe it has gone to a syndicate this winter, in which there are only 10 anglers! So, I’m not sure how much we’ll hear from there,” he said.
“I think Rutland Water is an interesting one. It’s a vast water, where I believe they also have the killer shrimp. Around seven years ago, while zander fishing, I was catching big ‘twos’. As that year class of fish comes through and grows, perch anglers may well move there from Grafham.
“As a bit of a wild card, the Thames also holds some very big perch, but the problem there is access, as anglers often need to own a boat to reach the best spots.”
IF YOU ARE NEW TO LURE FISHING, HERE IS THE BEST WAY TO RIG SOFT PLASTIC LURES…
Will UK perch get as big as Willem Stolk’s 7lb 11oz perch from Holland?
Tactical evolution
As the fish on Grafham have become more pressured, getting your tactics right is more important than ever, and technology now plays a vital role in the approach of successful anglers.
“Live scopes allow us to see how the fish are reacting, and it can be amazing to watch,” Paul revealed.
“You’ll often see them sat stubbornly on the bottom, but when the light starts to fade, they’ll rise up and start feeding. Often, those last few casts of the day can be the most productive.”
Many anglers on Grafham this season have had success with a scaled-down approach, which Paul believes can make all the difference.
“Really fining down when targeting highly pressured fish can be the key to catching, but I also think that trying anything out of the ordinary can be worth a go.
“Fishing something like a crankbait, retrieved quickly, can stir a response from pressured fish.”
