I am still a huge fan of surfaced fished livebaits for Perch in the Fens and this is always one of my first approaches. On this session I started fishing a small 2inch bleak, but this was soon mauled by a couple of Perch in the pound bracket. I then decided that perhaps a bigger bait was the was forward so selected a Rudd in the 3oz size range. This swam quite happily on the surface for around ten seconds, then suddenly started motoring towards the near bank. It was at this point that I knew something was spooking it, and as I lifted my head to see what was happening a large Perch came flying up behind it. After a few evasive manoeuvres on the Rudd's part, it was soon sucked off the surface, not even touching the sides of the Perch's tennis ball sized mouth. The Perch disappeared out of sight and I struck in an instant. I soon had one of my biggest Perch in recent years on the bank and weighed it in at a very pleasing 3lb 2oz. I tried another coupe of casts and would have stood a good chance of an even bigger fish, but my livebait decided to perform back flip after back flip until the chasing Perch just simply gave up. Perhaps if I had given it a bit longer it would have come back, but I had other plans.

I had put time by for a spot of lure fishing in the afternoon on my newly joined syndicate water. On arrival the lake was empty; a predator anglers paradise I thought! I decided that I would walk the whole of the water and make a few casts every ten metres or so, trying to get an idea of the Pike potential. Well all I can say is that it was slightly disappointing to say the least. After walking the whole 18 Acres of the pit, with only a Squirrelly Burt tempted Pike the size of a.... erm.... Squirrelly Burt! I was left wondering what the potential may actually be. In all fairness though, it will take a lot more than that to knock my confidence, I've never had a lot of luck with lures; just them Pike wait till I chuck them a Mackerel! besides, that little Pike came from somewhere.