Brook Perch

It was dark and gloomy when I got to the Brook at 7.00am, an angry sky but a lovely scene all the same. I bait dropped some chopped worm, caster and red maggots in to my Perch banker swim and then made myself some breakfast.

Within an hour the sun came out and I had to take my jacket off, nearly the end of October and I was in my t-shirt.

I've had some decent Perch out the weir pool so that was my first port of call but the only think that took a liking to my lobworms was a crayfish. It's the first crayfish that I've caught in the Avon brook section so I certainly don't think the Warwickshire Avon has the problem some of the other local rivers have.

I was only fishing for a few hours so the last couple of hours I spent in the banker swim, again the Perch were here and had 6 or 7 over a pound with the biggest 1lb 10oz.

I trotted today as I missed using the centepin last time when I ledgered.  I'm hoping come winter time some of the Perch have put on a bit of timber because the fish were long and lean, an encouraging sign though and another enjoyable morning.

Operation Perch...

Don't worry it's not a history lesson on Operation Perch which was a failed British offensive of the Second World War, I've another weeks family break to Centre Parcs in Elveden next month. In March this year I caught a clonker of a Perch at Elvedon's main lake that believe it or not took a linking to my float fished sweetcorn. Easily the biggest Perch I have ever caught and sods law didn't have the weighing scales with me. This time though, I'm going prepared.

I've a sack full of lobworms, red maggots, casters and some dark groundbait. The lobworms and maggots will be dipped in Archie Braddock's Perch Magic. You know what us fishermen are like, anything for an edge, and with it being November I'm hoping the lakes resident carp won't be that active.

I'm planning to float fish lobworm with a centrepin set-up and I'll have a low resistance sleeper rod out with lobworm or kingprawn. I'm hopefully going to fish three or four mornings and maybe a couple of afternoons in to dusk.

Perch plans for this weekend too, I'm going back to the Brook. Weird isn't it, it's probably ideal Barbel conditions on the Warwickshire Avon this weekend, and yet all I can think about is the Sergeant Perch

op-perch-tuna-ty

Friday was Shanghai's AC Fur and Feather at Tunnel Barn. Dave Roberts won again with 38lb or something. A match I didn't enjoy at all, the haul them in match fisherman have taken their toll and many of the fish had deformed mouths. I've decided that's the last visit to this venue for me.

In much more pleasant surroundings I had a few hours Sunday morning at the Avon Brook. I fished my Perch banker swim a few weeks ago but it was low and clear and only managed small un's. The River was up a couple of foot or so and had some colour, ideal and I grabbed at the opportunity.

I bought a cracking little rod recently when I was having a nose around Go-Outdoors. It's was a TFG 8-10ft compact all-rounder. It came with three tips and an avon type top. The rod is perfect for small river Perching, it comes in a nice brown blank too, oh and it was less than 40 quid. Tactics for today was a simple link ledger set-up and bites were registered with the 2oz quiver. Bait was lobworm

There is nothing like a big Perch, a Chub just pips as my favorite species but it's right up there. In this swim if you don't have a Perch on the end of your line within 5 minutes they are not there. They were there in numbers though and I landed at least 12 decent Perch, all over a pound and the biggest a pound and three quarters. I lost two potential 2lbers too, both lightly hooked I think and bumped the hook.

After 2 hours I ran out of lobworms and as it started to rain so I called it a day. Oh and a reminder to myself, I must get round to cleaning the camera lens.