After suffering from a bad back and a resulting few days off work it was good to get out and cast a line. Clambering around on the rocks did not seem a good option and time was limited so a short session was in order. These short sessions can however prove successful.
I have been intending to have a go for perch using light lure tactics and thought Furzebray Carp lakes would be ideal. So armed with a bag of light lures and an LRF style rod I set out on a cold crisp winters day to cast a line beneath a blue cloudless sky.
I arrived and ensured that I was not encroaching on any of the carp anglers present and started to search the areas not being fished. The first few casts in the first peg brought no success. The next spot proved more successful as after two or three casts a perch of a round 1lb 8oz snatched my savage-gear perch lure.
I moved on to a deeper area where I felt confident of success but repeated casts with different lures only brought a response from small perch that harassed the lures as I retrieved them following them right to the surface,
I moved back to the swim that had produced the previous fish and cast a small arrow tail fry imitation. As I twitched the lure into the margins I glimpsed a stripy flank and paused before twitching the lure once more. The rod tip jagged down as the perch devoured the lure giving an exciting tussle on the light tackle.
I called to a nearby carp angler who kindly took a quick photo of a splendid perch estimated at 2lb. Is there a better-looking fish?
Is there a better looking fish.
I expected more action as the afternoon passed but it was not to be; the perch were not on the feed. As the sun sank slowly the temperature dropped rapidly and by the time I got home ice was forming on the paving slabs.
