After spending several months recovering from surgery, Philip Stokes was eager to get back out there in search of a few specimen perch and it’s safe to say he returned with a bang when he banked this impressive 4lb 13oz beauty on a recent session.

He told us “I was targeting a local stillwater with my son Jason, and we endured a tricky day right up until the sun began to set, when I connected with this immense 4lb 13oz perch. I cast out, and before the rig had even touched down, I felt a thump I’d been waiting for all day. I immediately knew it was a good perch, and in the fading light I slipped the net under what we thought was a 3lb fish. However, once we got it in the light we stared in disbelief at a much larger specimen. It’s probably the biggest perch I’ll ever catch, and it came on a day that’ll live with me forever.”