The Upper River Ouse


Perch


Perca Fluviatilis


An aggressive predatory fish, with a spiny dorsal fin, and distinctive black vertical stripes on an olive green/yellow body


The perch must be one of the most familiar and common catches to the English angler. It is distributed throughout the UK, from southern England up to Scotland, and although small perch are very numerous, on many lakes and rivers, the larger specimens are a much rarer sight, mainly due to the ravages of the perch disease of the 1960's. However in recent years the species has been making a comeback.


The Perch Fishers are an angling organisation dedicated to the pursuit, catching, and preservation of one of Englands neglected species.

www.tdvan.freeserve.co.uk

Anyone who is a regular devotee of the angling press, would have probably noticed that big perch have been getting more common in recent years. Also reports of some phenomenal individual catches of big perch from a certain part of the Upper Great Ouse, have increased the spotlight on this ‘neglected species’, and it would appear that big perch throughout the UK are definitely making a comeback.

However, despite the increase in very big perch being publicised in recent year, it is worth while pointing out that a very big perch, certainly one over 4lb+, is a very rare fish indeed, and is an exceptional capture, even by today's standards. Fish of this size are not often seen, let alone caught, and are very impressive looking fish, compared to the much smaller sized perch we are used to seeing. Even a 3lb+ perch is a big fish, and few people have caught fish of even this size.

Although big perch are now becoming more common these days, the species has been the unfortunate victim of the destructive perch disease of the 1960s. This terrible disease virtually wiped out all of the large perch which existed in the UK, some forty years ago, and from the 1970s onwards big perch became almost unheard of. During the twenty years that followed, noted big perch waters, of the time, soon went full circle and the big perch in these waters, soon disappeared.

In the early eighties a small lake in Kent, called Furnace Pond, proved to be the exception, and produced an incredible number of huge perch, including the former British record fish of 5lb 9oz, caught by John Shaylor. Since then the perch has begun to make a come back, and the last ten years has seen an increase in the number of very big fish advertised in the angling press. It would appear that the demise of the perch is a thing of the past and at last this fish is now a viable proposition as a serious target for the specimen angler.

One venue that has always been famous for big perch is the Upper Great Ouse, in Buckinghamshire, and I have read much about the exploits of anglers such as Dick Walker, and Tony Miles, on this river, and big perch have always been a feature, when these people have written about fishing on the Upper River Ouse near Beachampton.

Today, certain parts of this river still hold perch to impressive sizes, and recent captures have included fish up to 5lbs in weight!! There was much talk, recently amongst anglers in the know, that the River Ouse would produce a new British record perch. However, it would appear, that the present river Ouse fish will not quite grow to a size that will eclipse the current British record.

Despite this, the general size of the perch on 'certain stretches' of the Upper River Ouse, are very impressive. A 3lb+ perch can be a realistic target, for any angler, who is fishing the right area, and there is always the outside chance of a really huge fish of 4lb+.