In search of perch

Sunday was a fine day. Bright and sunny weather meant it was rather pleasant at times although the conditions were not textbook as far as my quarry, perch, were concerned. I had decided to fish a pool in Warwickshire with a reputation for large perch and despite the unfavourable conditions, I stuck to the plan knowing opportunities are thin on the ground these days.

Having never fished the water before, I spent the first twenty minutes or so having a chat in an attempt to glean some useful information. I decided to opt for a spot in the shade, which I felt was important, with a large, snaggy tree to my right and around 4-5ft of water. Waggler fished worm would hopefully winkle out some perch while the loosefed maggots would pull a range of species to the area.

The clear conditions made for some cracking reflections

After about thirty minutes, a lack of action saw me change tactics. I had packed a 4m whip and decided to fish maggots to hand. Immediately, I encountered bites and the next hour was pretty busy with small perch, a string

A decent stamp of roach followed

 of nice roach to just over half a pound and a silver bream (of which there are a good head in the pool) of around 10oz, which I'm guessing is a PB having not caught many of them in the past.

Soon after however, disaster struck! My only rig tangled beyond repair and I found myself cursing my own laziness for not being more prepared. It was around 3pm so I decided to turn back to the worm approach and hope to pick up some perch as the light started to lose its intensity. A few perch did put in an appearance but nothing of the size I had hoped for.

Although the session had drawn a blank as far as a 2lb plus perch was concerned, it had been an enjoyable first visit to the pool on a beautiful January day. I will certainly look to return when conditions are more perch like and ensure I am better prepared.

What I think was a PB Silver Bream

A net of three species cut short by the tangle

The best Barbel catch of all time?

News surfaced recently that Barbel angler, Nigel Bryans had managed three 16lb+ fish in one session on the Nene. As you can imagine, Nigel was not only shocked but delighted and shared his unbelievable news on Barbel Fishing World (here). The thread, which started off with sincere congratulations has however threatened to turn sour.

Catching a Barbel over 15lb is a fish of a lifetime, to manage three in one sitting has never been done as far as I’m aware and I doubt it will happen again. Tension started to appear when a debate began regarding whether the three fish were individuals or were they two fish, with one of them being caught twice. Ray Walton, of rolling meat fame, was the main protagonist and studied the photos long and hard under the guise of the 'River Records Committee', claiming that for the list of records to maintain credence then the three fish would need to be scrutinised as each one could be a potential new record. Ray even went on to question the dates on one of the photos as it did not correlate with the capture of the other two. Nigel then saw himself trying to defend his catch. The three fish are pictured below so you’re free to pass your own opinion as to whether the fish are different or not. However, my view is whether this is what fishing is actually about. I appreciate that some people take it seriously, in their quest for fame, sponsorship and whatever else floats their boat but is it worth all the fuss and bad feeling that has undoubtedly been felt in the thread on Barbel Fishing World?

Although it’s unlikely I’ll ever be in Nigel’s position, I think he did the right thing in highlighting is catch. Anglers want to know that such catches are possible since many would have doubted catching three huge fish was a possibility until last week. However, I can imagine Nigel is perhaps regretting going public with his news given some of the flack that’s come his way and I’m sure it soured his feelings of euphoria. The local Peterborough Telegraph (here) even ran a story where it apparently names the stretch although this is based on a guess rather than fact but I can imagine that stretch will come in for some attention in the coming months from the glory hunters, which again is regretful.

 Anyway, in closing I think the photos prove that the fish are of the weight claimed and given there was a credible witness it should have been a straight forward river record claim as far as I was concerned. I am not entirely sure where the doubt has come from and whether it was required given the friction it has caused. As I mentioned earlier the three fish are pictured below so let me know what you think about their identity and would you have gone public if you’d managed the feat? Before I go, I think Nigel deserves a pat on the back, well done!

Barbel number 1 at 16lb

Barbel number 2 at 16lb 8oz

 

Barbel number 3 also at 16lb 8oz