A Thames Perch story.

[Rotrax]

I have the benifit of being allowed to fish the property of Crowmarsh Mill, just below Benson lock. I once gave some lifechanging information to the then owner over a serious medical problem he was experiencing and in his gratitude he allowed me to fish the 400 metres of the Weirpool bankside plus the lead from above Benson Weir to the sluice and the Millpool. I have had three PB's from the waters, a 27lb Pike, an 8lb Bream and a Dace of almost a pound.

In windy conditions the millpool is a comfortable spot to fish. Quite small, lots of Lily Pads, it forks around a small island where the ashes of the now late owner and his wife are buried under the willow tree. In late October on, Pike feed voraciously on the roach and fry, making their presence known by splashing and swirling with small fish jumping to escape.

My wife, an acomplished angler, had never caught a Pike. She decided to try to rectify this and decided to come fishing with me to the Millpool. I caught some small roach and set her up with a 4 inch livebait under a Chubber type float with my old Milbro hollow glass spinning rod and my faithfull Intrepid Elite spooled with 12lb BS monofil.She learned to guide it around the small pool, working it along the edge of the current and back into the eddy.

Nothing doing for an hour. She allowed the bait to become stationary in a group of Lily Pads. After a moment or two, the float moved away from the Lily Pads into the current and disappeared. She let it go while saying 'God Save The Queen' slowly, a strike timing device that works well in most cases when using livebait for Pike.

The rod hooped, the water swirled and an enormous Perch came to the surface, spat the Roach out and dived away. It was as big as a large teatray. I know perch look big for their weight, but we were both speechless with its size.

You cant lose what you never had, so back to the drawing board. Ten minutes later she broke her Pike duck with a fiesty eight pounder.

I have fished for that huge perch many, many times since.

All I catch are small Pike..........................

[RBTraditional]

There’s nothing quite like a big perch and you’re right even a modest one at first looks huge but that one sounded very special. I hope you or indeed your wife find the time to revisit and catch the monster......

[Liphook]

Sounds a fabulous place to dangle! It's exactly these experiences that fuel a lifetime of angling journeys. Just a glimpse of a leviathan can cause a deep addiction and haunt one for years. Thanks for stirring up memories

[Catfish.017]

David Miller the Wildlife (and particularly fish) artist is still haunted by a huge Perch that made good it's escape on his first ever visit to White Springs in South Wales. It kept him going back for two Winters, both of us catching a lot of Perch to four pounds which convinced him the escapee was at least five pounds!

[Santiago]

There's still five pounders in the Thames these days, but coming across them is very rare!

[Rotrax]

My fishing of the water over the last ten years has not happened due to wintering in NZ to visit the Grandchildren. In fact, apart from fishing for the pot from our yacht - where we spend our Summers and in NZ I have neglected this aspect of my past life that has given me so much pleasure. We were only at home six weeks in the Spring and were busy getting the boat ready and six weeks in the autumn and were busy putting it away for the winter. This left little time for angling after we had caught up with the admin and post plus house repairs etc.

I did buy a sad looking but well made cane fly rod in NZ a couple of years ago. A local guy, Steve of Steves Tackle in Wellington indulged me with a new set of rings and whipping silk and a new Chapmans ferrule allowed me to cut away the damage, shorten both sections, lengthen the handle and make a stiffer, more versatile rod from it. Took two visits but not used it in anger yet, just waved it about!

Who knows when we will be able to visit our Grandchildren and our Kiwi family again?

The positive thing is that I have found this forum and have become enthused once more to use my antique tackle and fish the traditional way.

I shall have time this Winter so the Thames and Ock chub had better watch out!

As for the huge Perch, I shall fish there again, searched out the sons contact details yesterday, but I think the perch is best left as a memory and a fishing story.

Glad some of you enjoyed it.

[Bobthefloat]

I think Perch are my favourite fish and the Thames has true monsters!
Well done on finding the forum I suspect your season's will just get better every year now

[Aitch]

I shall be after a Perch tomorrow on the Wid Writtle Weirpool with a big tub of worms... hopefully the river won't be too high...

I've caught a few good Perch at Laleham on the Thames in years gone by on chopped worm in my match days... always used to be good for a Sergeant back then... some of them over 2lbs... not huge, but a 2lb Perch still looks big to me...

[Mr B]

Great story and well written...
I love that part of The Thames... I have a rod with that very name written above the makers name. J Peek 40 Grays Inn Road London. It’s my Thames Rod.
And..... there must a record breaker swimming around in that river... love the Thames.

[Mr B]

Oooops made the photo to small and it came out sideways!