Paul Bailey recently went on a short, early morning session on a local canal where he managed this lovely 4lb 12oz perch.

He told us “I was in two minds whether or not to give it a miss and return home after finding the water very coloured after overnight rain, but in for a penny and all that. I used two rods – one with legered king prawn and the other with lobs, with one in the main channel and the other just off the near shelf.

After around an hour the prawn rod indicated a few bleeps, and I was in. The fish put up a fine show, but after what seemed a much longer battle than it probably was, the perch was netted. It’s a new PB for me on this particular canal, and I’m more than pleased I decided to stay.”