He was fishing the River Thames at Berkshire and tempted the beast on a three-inch Keitech Easy Shiner Lure, presented on a Texas rig. It’s just half-a-pound off the current record, held jointly by Neill Stephen and Ken Brown, but what’s more impressive is that it’s summer fish, way off its peak weight. Come the end of the season, it could well be pushing their 6lb 3oz fish.

George, who’s landed perch to over 4lb in the past, was fishing with his dad, Ben, at the time of the capture. The pair had been casting alongside moored boats and structure, catching plenty of small fish, but after a little while, they moved upstream to a spot they’ve had success in the past. George cast out and slowly bumped his lure along the bottom in the flow, allowing it to swing round to the nearside ledge. As it settled, he suddenly felt a small pluck before everything went solid, and initially, George reckoned he was snagged. However, when the ‘snag’ swam out to the middle of the river and the flank of a huge perch flashed beneath the surface, George and instantly knew he’d hooked a something special. It fought like no other he’s caught, but after a few minutes, his dad safely netted it. George noted that the scale of this fish was on a different level to any other he’s seen.

Well done George!