Away Days 3: Summer Perch Fishing

About a week ago, I had the pleasure of meeting up with Hayden Seabrook, an exceptional lure angler who, like me, has a passion for perch fishing. Our goal for the day was to catch perch off the surface, with Hayden guiding me through his local waters – summer perch fishing! You can read about our adventure here.

During this fantastic session, we successfully caught perch on the surface, achieving our mission. However, what transpired that day inspired me to stick around even after Hayden had to leave.

While working lures on the surface, we noticed a few much larger perch rising occasionally to take a swipe at the surface lure. As any angler would, we continued working the lure over the same area, but the larger fish remained elusive, disappearing back into the depths.

Later, inspired by our earlier observations, I decided to work a lure along the bottom a bit further up the river to see what might be lurking there. Not long after the lure touched down and a few lifts, I hooked a decent-sized perch. After landing it and taking the obligatory photos and measurements, we made our way back downstream.

Going it alone

Upon reaching the car park, Hayden mentioned he had to leave. I decided to grab some food and then choose whether to head home to my local waters or stick around for more fishing. 

I found myself sitting in the local park of a nearby village, right outside a shop that evidently sold the worst sandwiches in history. Despite my disappointing meal, the backache that had gradually worsened during the session was beginning to ease. With a full stomach and a bit of relief, I decided to head back to our original spot on the river. It was roughly a ten-minute drive downstream, and given the time we’d been away, I figured the situation might have changed.

This time, armed with a selection of lures designed to work along the bottom, I revisited all the spots we had fished earlier. With the sun now much higher in the sky and a good pair of polarised sunglasses, I could see a lot of what was happening beneath the surface. While smaller perch were actively chasing and I was catching a few, there was no sign of the larger specimens.

I then searched for deeper water free of weed—a challenging task in the height of summer perch fishing, leaving me with few options. I worked all the available spots, often snagging and occasionally losing drop shot weights. As time passed, so did the opportunities for finding the elusive big perch.

I was happy with how the day had gone. We had a good laugh, I learned quite a bit from Hayden about surface lure fishing, and, more importantly, gained fishing confidence. We caught some respectable fish, and if I were to leave now, it would have been a successful trip and worth the drive.

Was it a monster perch?

On what was literally going to be the last cast (I know), I felt an aggressive tug on the line. It wasn’t weed or a submerged branch—branches don’t pull back or vibrate the line. This was a perch, and it felt like a good one. I recast, retrieving along the exact same line, slowing down and then trying a more aggressive approach. Something had another go—this was getting exciting.

On the fourth or fifth cast, a narrowboat worked its way into the swim, followed by another coming in the opposite direction, and then a cruiser. That’s it, chance blown, I thought. I waited for them all to pass, listening to dull conversations about narrow boats, holiday plans, and river destinations. Each to their own, I guess, but get out of the way!

Finally, they left. This was either going to go one way or another—either whatever was snatching at my lure had long gone due to the disturbance, or the break in waving a lure in its face might inspire it to come back for another go.

I cast the lure out – Keitech Swing Impact Fat, waited for it to drop, and closed the bail arm. Lift, reel, nothing. Lift, reel, nothing again. Hmmm, not much happening. After a few more lifts and retrieves, the lure was back at my feet. That’s it—it’s gone, I thought.

One more cast, at a slightly different angle. I repeated the same retrieval method that had inspired the plucks earlier. Just as the lure reached my feet, the hardest pullback I’d ever experienced from a perch occurred. This fish was stripping line with each lunge and head shake, I was careful not to tighten the drag even though I felt it was the right thing to do, fearing it might pull the hook. I just held on, hoping it would surface.

It did, and I could see a massive perch on the end of the line, clearly annoyed! After a few more escape attempts, I managed to get the net beneath it, feeling instant relief the moment it was safely netted. “F**k me, that might be a PB!” I exclaimed.

With all the boats and local ramblers gone, I took a moment to sit quietly with the fish unhooked and resting in the net. It had been about a year since I last saw a perch over 3lb, and this one looked like it could be a solid contender. I positioned the net so the fish could remain in the water while I set up the mat, measure, and scales. Given its size, it was definitely getting measured and weighed accurately.

a new length PB

The perch relaxed on the mat with its nose against the measuring plate, and its tail fins reached a length of 43cm. After measuring, I weighed it, and it came in at 3lb 4oz, just 2 ounces shy of my personal best. However, this fish set a new length record for me, beating my former by 2cm.

I let the fish rest again before taking some photos, both on the mat and with me behind it, proudly displaying a ridiculously big cheesy grin. Once I saw that the perch was strong enough to swim away, I released it back into the water. What a day, I thought.

It was time to leave. Checking my watch, I realised I still had most of the afternoon ahead of me once I got home. If I could muster the energy and my back allowed, I might hit a local spot on the way home.

Before leaving, I phoned Hayden to share what had just happened. It was a shame he wasn’t there, but I thanked him for a brilliant day and acknowledged that this wouldn’t have happened without his invitation.

My confidence was through the roof, and after about an hour of driving, I decided to stop at a spot known for good perch fishing year-round – especially summer perch fishing. The plan was to use the same method and lure as before and see what happened. The day was already a success, and with my wife away at a spa retreat, I could relax and enjoy whatever the remainder of the afternoon had in store.

Hitting another spot on the way home

Once out of the car, I walked over a bridge and peered into the water, noticing bait fish everywhere. Looks promising, I thought. I unhooked the lure from the rod and began working the area. The lure was getting hit by smaller perch, which were fun to catch. Eventually, a micro pike even showed up and tore the lure, so I replaced it with another from the same packet.

Like most lure anglers, I focused on the bridge, the structure around it, and the walls that entered the water. This was yielding results but mainly from smaller perch, likely needing the shelter the bridge offered from larger predators. With nothing to lose and the bridge thoroughly worked, I started casting to my right, where the water was thick with streamer weed from the bottom to almost the surface. If nothing else, this offered good ambush opportunities for perch and pike.

After clearing the lure of weed for what felt like the hundredth time, I recast along the near bank. The lure dropped to the bottom and was instantly hit. I initially thought it was another pike, but it soon became clear that this was a greedy perch—much larger than the ones this spot had been offering. The perch buried itself in the marginal weed every chance it got. After a tense battle and with the landing net handle fully extended, I finally managed to land it. This one went to 2lb 8oz / 38cm and was a great way to finish the day. 

After taking measurements and photos, I decided to pack up and head home. The day had been epic from start to finish. With plenty of fishing, scorching weather, and a sore back—a sure sign that I’d made the most of every moment—it was the perfect end to a fantastic day of summer perch fishing.