MARCH 2010 COVER STORY

Go Live for Big Perch

Arctic-like weather fails to discourage predator ace Mick Brown, as he goes livebaiting for big perch.

You can catch river perch at any time during the season, but as the baitfish shoal up when winter comes, the specimens start to strike. I look forward to the first decent rainfall in late autumn. It adds a little colour to the river, making presentation less critical. The extra pace seems to bring the river alive and further aids presentation, by allowing baits to be trotted in the flow. Any time from early December through to the end of the river season, you are likely to find me travelling light along the banks of the tributaries of my local fenland rivers in search of perch. My realistic target is a two-pounder. In this day and age when the weeklies seem to be regularly full of specimen perch, it’s important to realise that a 2lb fish is still a good size target fish, and very few venues, or anglers, are regularly turning up bigger specimens. Quite often, we are simply reading about the same fish being caught over and over again, from venues like the upper Great Ouse. So, for me, a two-pounder makes my day, and a three-pounder in the net is still, as far as I’m concerned, a red-letter day. A 3lb perch really is a fantastic fish to catch.

YOU CAN READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE IN THE MARCH 2010 ISSUE OF TOTAL COARSE FISHING

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