My search for the Perch continued today, the day started out with me fishing on the pole for Roach. The bites were constant and once again I ended up with a good net full, a strong breeze that formed in the afternoon prompted me to pack the pole away and concentrate on the Perch.
I'd spoken to Allan in the morning and suggested to him that if he came down with the intentions of fishing late in the afternoon to bring just a Barbel rod and a reel rather than be fully laden with all his gear, and that I would sort the rest of his terminal tackle out for him. He took advantage of this offer and duly arrived late afternoon. "Don't worry mate" I told him "You'll catch that Pike tonight"
Since Allan landed his double a few weeks back he's had to use the 'red pen' after every single outing, sometimes he just doesn't have the luck. However Allan has a saying and it goes a little like this.... "I don't catch many Matt, but when I do catch they're big fish" There was never a true word spoken, as minutes earlier I'd just landed my third Pike of the day when I heard Allan say "I've got one!" Finally he'd caught sight of his float bobbing and indeed he was in! What happened next we will probably talk about for years to come...
I watched as he struck into the take, and I saw a nice bend in his rod, he was seemingly into a good fish, then as it flashed past us in the water desperately trying to outwit it's captor, I caught sight of an orange fin and white under belly...
He'd only gone and caught, and right from under my feet the Perch that I'd been targeting over the last two sessions. As it glided into the net Allan's cries of "Matt it's massive, it's a whopper" were far from comforting.
What a specimen this fish was, tipping the scales at 2lb 4oz. As I've said before is there a greater sight than that of a big Perch? I think not! As I had put all the work into catching it, the guilty look on Al's face said it all. I dare say that he almost felt sorry for me. Well I exclaimed "That's fishing for you mate and there's plenty more from where that came from" That's what makes fishing so unpredictable and interesting in the first place no matter how much time and effort you put in, there's nothing to stop someone else coming along and catching the fish of a lifetime. That was a cracking fish mate well done!
This week has been a good weeks fishing for me, I've landed a lot of Jack Pike, and I've fished well on the pole, but above all I've learnt a lot over the last few days, from perfecting my pole rigs, to coming up with a definitive rig to catch the finicky Perch.
It's worth mentioning that the weather was once again very mild today, and that the sun was for the most part clear of any cloud cover. Which in turn was a kiss of death for much in the way of predator action today, as dusk approached and the sun finally hid behind the clouds the takes were almost instant.
I'd spoken to Allan in the morning and suggested to him that if he came down with the intentions of fishing late in the afternoon to bring just a Barbel rod and a reel rather than be fully laden with all his gear, and that I would sort the rest of his terminal tackle out for him. He took advantage of this offer and duly arrived late afternoon. "Don't worry mate" I told him "You'll catch that Pike tonight"
Since Allan landed his double a few weeks back he's had to use the 'red pen' after every single outing, sometimes he just doesn't have the luck. However Allan has a saying and it goes a little like this.... "I don't catch many Matt, but when I do catch they're big fish" There was never a true word spoken, as minutes earlier I'd just landed my third Pike of the day when I heard Allan say "I've got one!" Finally he'd caught sight of his float bobbing and indeed he was in! What happened next we will probably talk about for years to come...
I watched as he struck into the take, and I saw a nice bend in his rod, he was seemingly into a good fish, then as it flashed past us in the water desperately trying to outwit it's captor, I caught sight of an orange fin and white under belly...
He'd only gone and caught, and right from under my feet the Perch that I'd been targeting over the last two sessions. As it glided into the net Allan's cries of "Matt it's massive, it's a whopper" were far from comforting.
What a specimen this fish was, tipping the scales at 2lb 4oz. As I've said before is there a greater sight than that of a big Perch? I think not! As I had put all the work into catching it, the guilty look on Al's face said it all. I dare say that he almost felt sorry for me. Well I exclaimed "That's fishing for you mate and there's plenty more from where that came from" That's what makes fishing so unpredictable and interesting in the first place no matter how much time and effort you put in, there's nothing to stop someone else coming along and catching the fish of a lifetime. That was a cracking fish mate well done!
This week has been a good weeks fishing for me, I've landed a lot of Jack Pike, and I've fished well on the pole, but above all I've learnt a lot over the last few days, from perfecting my pole rigs, to coming up with a definitive rig to catch the finicky Perch.
It's worth mentioning that the weather was once again very mild today, and that the sun was for the most part clear of any cloud cover. Which in turn was a kiss of death for much in the way of predator action today, as dusk approached and the sun finally hid behind the clouds the takes were almost instant.
The 2lb 4oz Perch
