Perch are a well known yet at the same time an unknown species, appreciated and yet unappreciated in equal measure. Striped tigers, residents of backwaters, marinas, underwater obstructions and the underside of moored boats, for a lot of us anglers they were probably our first fish caught, spiky, scaly, striking to look at and about three ounces in weight. For that is the enigma, most perch encountered being both prolific within the particular fishery and small, in short for seasoned anglers they become a nuisance. However, when the species grows to specimen size (1.2 kg or 2.6 lbs), it becomes highly sought after and a very welcome catch. The rub being, perch of this size are rare in Ireland, thus few people deliberately target them.
Which is why observing Owen Walsh use a tried and trusted method for attracting a large fresh water predator, drop minnow, became an interesting exercise. Ledgering a “bottle caught” minnow close to a waterside obstruction Owen initially encountered a good fish only to have it drop the bait. Five minutes later a lusty scrap ended with his friend Mark netting a beautiful perch weighing a pound plus. Spiky, striped, red finned, belligerent and totally impressive, Owen’s smile said it all, a great catch.
To cap the day, who should I stop and talk to only Dan Smith and Ken Garry, two of Ireland’s most committed perch fishers with a string of specimens after their names. The story of these firm friends can be read in chapter 10 of a cracking book published by Harper Fine Angling Books in 2011 called “The Biggest Fish of All” a collection of stories collated by the late Richard Chandaman of The Perch Fishers club. I challenge anyone not to seek out specimen perch after reading this book………
