For the fortnight leading up to this session I had a couple of very successful short trips with my BFS set up managing multiple 2s and 3lbers, dropping in to a prolific crease and edging stick baits back incredibly slow on cheb rigs. I was itching to get out again but the run of lower water levels and clarity were coming to an end, with rain over the last few days the river came up 3ft and was carrying an unusual amount of colour. These conditions screamed Lobworms on the link ledger, I know not at fun as BFS fishing but a very dangerous approach for targeting big Perch in the winter. If you can located a shoal and you play your cards right you can pretty much empty a swim on the Lobby’s. The night before I was out late sneaking about on the grass with a head torch grabbing some Worms, it wasn’t long before I had a few of dozen king sized lobs. With the bait sorted all that was left was to time my session right and watching the river levels for further up stream I could preempt when the river was going to fall enough to allow this crease to fish properly, this took a while and by early afternoon it was fishable leaving me the last 3 hours before before dusk. After the long walk I got my self settled in the swim, the river was tanking through but dropping all the time. These spate rivers can rise and fall a good foot per hour no problem making the conditions more favourable my the minute. My first cast was very close in almost under the rod time in a small slack created by the bushes upstream, but as the river drops I’m expecting the crease created by the bush to start to push out further from the bank. The first cast was very quiet and instead of replacing the untouched worm I decided to add another so now I’m fishing two monsters on a size 4 and a proper bait giving the Perch more to hone in on, it must have worked because 5 minutes in to the second cast I received a small tremble followed by a slow pull over as the perch moved away. Wallop fish on and it was soon in the net, it was a beautifully marked Perch a whisker over 2lb the colours on this fish had a brilliant red hue, I’m assuming its colours were exaggerated by the high inclusion of Crayfish to its diet.

A few quick pictures and I walked the fish 70 yards down stream to release it away from swim, I’ve found by doing this or keeping the fish in a keepnet you can end up catching more of the shoal. The next few hours were bite less I was beginning to wonder if that was going to be my lot. Dusk was now approaching fast and the crease had pushed out another couple of metres in to the river, I followed it out wanting my bait to be just the slack side of crease text book food holding area where the water slowed down. By this time the light was starting to fade fast when I had the tell tale little taps on the tip and a few seconds later the tip pulled over, as I lifted in to the bite I was instantly met with a heavy weight and monstrous head shakes. It took a good few minutes to tame this fish it tried to get under every bush and snag in the swim, it was almost ready for netting just chugging about deep under the rod tip. I still hadn’t seen the fish at this point when it rose out of the coloured water mouth wide open and dorsal fully erect, that image will be etched in to my memories for life as it glided straight in to the waiting net. What lay before me in the net was a Perch of giant proportions the biggest perch I had ever seen, this thing was huge undoubtedly a PB could this fish go 4lb ?

I pegged my landing net in the edge with my rod rest whilst I sorted out the scales and camera equipment, all the while this angry Perch was thrashing about in the edge getting me worried it was going to escape. With everything sorted it was time to lift the fish of my dreams out and inspect my prize. I easily popped the size 4 out from its great bucket mouth this fish was huge it was so thick and plump and in such great condition, I held my breath as the needle on the Reuben’s bounced about before settling at 4lb 2oz.
I was blown away a new PB and a welcome invitation to the four pounders club, i must of rattled off about 25 pictures of this incredible beast just to make sure i had got some good ones. I then walked her down stream to release her, after a couple of minutes rest and a couple of kicks of the tail she was ready and waddled off back to the depths. I got my self sat back down in the peg and poured my self an OXO from my flask and take in what had actually happened, once regained I set about tying a new hooklength and a fresh hook as I had at least another 30 minutes of light left. I gaffed on another couple of Lobworms and flicked out to the edge of the crease, I followed it down to the bottom feeling the slight thud as my 2 swan shot touched down. I then placed the rod in the rest and let the flow take up the little bit of slack, the anticipation of another bite after such a big fish had got me all giddy. When instantly I was brought to my senses when the tip lurched forward after only a matter of seconds, my hand covering the reel ready I waited for a second pull which came seconds later. Wallop as I struck in to yet another heavy weight this fish behaved totally different to the last it a run straight in to the main flow then under a tight line just kited down stream and in to my margin, it was then guided upstream without any trouble just the odd head shake as I manoeuvred it straight in to the waiting net. This fish looked bigger than the 4lber it was longer and deeper surely I hadn’t beat my PB again in a matter of minutes, like before I pegged the net in the margin with my rod rest while I get everything sorted. On the scales this fish was ever so slightly lighter coming in at 3lb 15oz still a spectacular monster from a Yorkshire river, it had the length and depth it just didn’t have the same thickness and belly.

I couldn’t believe it I had just landed over 8lb of Perch in two casts, it was the stuff angling dreams were made of. After a round of photos and the fish released I was left kicking myself that I had released the 4lb 2oz moments earlier it would have made for a memorable catch shot with one in each hand. Time was getting on now and dusk was upon us, and I pushed my luck for another cast trying to see the tip in the fading light. I sat it out till it was pitch black but not another sign. I packed up probably the happiest man on the river that day and an afternoon I won’t forget…