Rib Valley Lakes
The perfect place for a plump perch
PERCH are getting plump in preparation for spawning, and now is the time to catch them!
But where should you head to for some rod-bending stripey action? Well, one water that’s been hot for them over the past few weeks is Rib Valley Lakes in Hertfordshire – so who better than our own Where to Fish duo Jake Benson and Ian Jones to take a trip there to see what all the fuss was about?
Arriving at dawn, our intrepid venue detectives were impressed with their first sight of the fishery. “Each lake is nestled perfectly within beautiful surroundings,” said Jake.
“But we were a little worried that our target water, Westmill, would be frozen. Sure enough, half the lake was, so we settled into a couple of swims on the ice-free river side of the fishery.
“I had a gut feeling that this was the wrong area, and after two hours without a bite I knew I was right! Luckily, by now the sun was up and thawing out the lake, which opened up a host of new possibilities, including islands, channels and bays.
“So we decided to move, soon settling in pegs 55 and 56 which offered fishing from an island into a small channel. Overhanging trees and reedlined margins provided plenty of cover for the perch and I was far more confident of catching here,” he said.
“Aiming towards a floating pontoon, three rodlengths out, I introduced three small balls of Van Den Eynde Supercup and Superblack groundbait with added dead reds, chopped worms and casters to kick off the swim. This feed was given a healthy shot of Predator Plus liquid for added attraction.
“A simple waggler was presented over this spot, with my size 18 hook carrying a double maggot hookbait.
“A ‘sleeper’ rod rigged with a simple running rig and lobworm hookbait was cast towards the opposite margin, with several broken lobworms catapulted over the top,” Jake added.
“An hour passed before a series of beeps signalled a take on the sleeper rod and, after a spirited fight, a fish of around 12oz hit the net. Sport continued, and eventually I was getting regular bites to both methods. Feeding little and often was key.
“Despite the bright sunshine and cold conditions, we managed to tempt several perch, topped by a fish of around 1lb 8oz. We did see it out until last light in the hope of bagging a monster, but it wasn’t to be.
“In ideal conditions a 20lb-plus bag of perch is certainly possible and numerous 2lb fish have been falling to similar tactics.
“I think with a slightly more refined and accurate approach, perhaps fishing the pole, would bring more bites – you can’t beat the presentation it offers.
“That said, half my fish and a better stamp too fell to legered lobworms, so don’t forget the specimen approach either!”