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fishing for schelly from the bank.
Yet not even a single lone straggler
showed up at either lake for many
years.
Then, possibly in the late 1980's or
early 1990's, we finally started to
pick up a very occasional small
pressure blown perch out over the
deep water boat marks on Coniston,
though oddly enough, still nothing
from Ullswater, where you would
have had more of an expectation of
seeing a few.
Obviously then, the different lakes
Bob Fitchie, Bassenthwaite Perch
were hit and subsequently went
about their recovery in different ways, all of which today are back to their pre-disease levels, allowing
us to pick perch up now pretty much every visit. More so even than the trout, char and schelly, whose
population levels have also changed, possibly in response to the shift in balance brought about by the
increase in perch numbers once again.
The balance of power on the specimen scene between perch and other competing species has also most
definitely changed. Lakes and rivers which were once renowned for their big fish, even record fish,
which while they retained the theoretical capability of re-establishing those reputations, have not in all
cases come out of the ranking process as strongly as their pre-disease perch history might suggest they
should.
Now there is a new kid on the block in the guise of the small commercial mixed fishery. These have
grown in popularity to such an extent that many of the more traditional waters have either been
neglected, or turned over to other aspects of fishing such as carp, catfish, or fly fishing.
One common thread here is that for most people, perch these days are quite a low interest species, which
has pretty much allowed them to go about their business as something of an unknown quantity.
This is particularly true on small commercial fisheries, where feed of all descriptions, and particularly
high protein feeds, are pumped into the place continuously, followed by baits targeting anything other
than perch, which has at some waters both allowed and encouraged the perch to grow big. Very big in
fact. Some even to record size.
England more so than Ireland, Scotland or Wales is the home of the small commercial fishery, and it is
only England that has so far managed to produce perch in excess of six pounds.
Wales has a few commercial waters. But Scotland, and in particular Ireland, less so, being more reliant
on large natural water bodies, which while they might have less of a propensity towards producing those
truly huge fish of English specimen proportions, to a lot of people offer more creditable catches because
they are wild fish. A debate which as a sea angler I have no intention of becoming embroiled in here.
The fact that lots of high quality feed is being put onto the plate of fish that few people seem overly
interested in perusing, coupled to the greater conversion rate of food intake to growth in the warmer
south of England, has to give perch anglers down there a clear edge. Or at least you would think so. But
others up here in the north west might want to take issue with that, and not only local anglers.
There are big perch specialists who are so inspired by the quality of perch fishing here in the north west,
and so convinced that the record is also up here waiting to be taken, that they are willing to travel huge
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