Perch have always been a challenge for Surrey angler Duncan Hayward, but his efforts with the species paid off on a recent session, when he landed this 4lb 9oz specimen on a float-fished roach livebait.
He was fishing the River Thames, targeting an area where a shaded treeline overlooks a steep marginal shelf, with big overhangs just off the edge of the flow. After missing a take, he hooked a fish that gave a solid, jagging resistance, and was elated to see the large stripey surface.Well done Duncan!