Monster Perch

[Chris Plumb]

Well I'll make a start....

 

A 7lb'er???? It is a lovely looking Perch and an exceedingly plump fish but if thats 7 lb's in weight then I've personally broke the 6-7lb barrier on several occasions and I know that not to be true..

I would put that fish at somewhere between 3-4lb's which is a great fish but 7 lb's.

I always find it very dissapointing when people claim such exaggerated weights for personal kudos. It goes against pretty much all of my fishing ethos.

If you use the rollock attachment as scale I would put that fish at a rough guess 17-18 inches.

Does anyone have a length table for Perch. Vagabond, Steve Burke?

The fish of 6lb's 2oz of a couple of weeks back looked a far better bet. If the water in the boatyard was tidal with a clear dyke connecting to the river and he wasn't anchored to the bank then I would say it's near enough immpossible for the fisherman in question to be tresspassing let alone poaching....

 

 

I'd have put it at around 3- 3½ as well.

 

And 17inches comes out at 2lb 13¼oz

18 = 3lb 5½oz

 

This is a fat fish but a 7, never!

 

 

C.

[Steve Burke]

Does anyone have a length table for Perch. Vagabond, Steve Burke?

 

The standard weight for length table doesn't go up to 7lbs. However it's based on a 12 inch perch weighing 1lb. Extrapolating from that a 7lber would be approx 23 inches long.

 

Having said that, the weight of a perch can vary a fair bit, even neglecting an increase in April due to spawn. This is because being a predator it may have just eaten a big meal.

 

It's difficult to gauge the weight of this fish as it's being held out in front of the captor rather than to the side - look at the size of the guy's face in comparison.

 

It's certainly a fat fish, and he appears to be a big fella, but I certainly have my doubts as to it weighing 7lbs.

 

Although some captures are deliberately inflated, in my experience most exagerated claims aren't an attempt to deceive but genuine mistakes. These seem to occur more with perch than any other species.

Edited January 21, 2008 by Steve Burke

[Guest tigger]

I'd have put it at around 3- 3½ as well.

 

And 17inches comes out at 2lb 13¼oz

18 = 3lb 5½oz

 

This is a fat fish but a 7, never!

C.

 

 

I reckon 3lb maybe 3 1/2lb being optimistic.

[Chubstar]

If that Perch weighs 7lb, using the captor's estimation scale, I've caught double figure Perch!! There's no way that fish is near 4lb, let alone 7lb!!

[Janet]

And 17inches comes out at 2lb 13¼oz

 

My best perch was just a fraction over 17" long, and weighed 2lb 14oz, so that formula seems pretty accurate, give or take a few ounces.

 

I'm no expert by any means, but even I can see that although it's certainly a lovely fish, and I wish I'd caught it, it isn't 7lbs! Now, that really would be a sight to see!

 

Unless I'm seriously wrong, I find it hard to believe that he's made such an error in weighing it. More likely he's having fun trying to wind up other anglers!

 

Janet

[Sharkbyte]

The 'two hands' pose is the best way of making a good Perch, look less than impressive.

 

I'd give him low 4's, it is a good fish..... but 7lb!

 

 

Reminds me of those two clowns in the AT a while back. They went one better and claimed that their scales had just been calibrated. Total BS!

 

 

If you want to have a laugh at another couple of other clowns, check this out. Love the comments.

 

[Vagabond]

I would put that fish at a rough guess 17-18 inches.

Does anyone have a length table for Perch. Vagabond, Steve Burke?

 

 

 

Well here is an 18" fish - it weighed 3 lb 1 oz

 

 

....and here is one only one inch longer at 19" that just scraped 4 lb

 

 

As you can see, girth is very important in determining weight by tape measure rather than scales.

 

 

 

BTW Chris Plumb Your bullhead was off my scale!

 

However, a 2" bullhead weighs just over 2 drams, a 3" bullie goes to 6.75 drams

 

By extrapolation a bullhead of 98 mm (3.86") would weigh 14.5 drams - so you were pretty close to the British Record

 

....and you quote "to the root of the tail" whereas the above measurements are from snout to tail tip - so your liggie might have been bigger still.

[Anderoo]

It's a very fat perch but doesn't look very long. My first thought was somewhere just under 4lb - a very big perch indeed. But guessing a weight from a photo is a pointless exercise, it's impossible.

 

This does seem to happen an awful lot with perch doesn't it!

 

Btw Vagabond, that 4lber of yours is an absolute belter

[dant]

Vagabond, it's no surprise to me that second fish went 4lb's look at the girth of the thing. A couple of cracking fish.

 

Steve understand and agree with your point about the amount of accidental mistaken weights for fish, I can see how it might happen with inexperienced anglers or dodgy scales.

I just wonder what weight this fish would of been claimed at if we hadn't had a fish of 6lb's 2oz reported a week or two earlier form a boatyard on the Thames. It all seems a little uhhmm fishy to me.

 

It is virtually impossible to get an accurate weight from a photo but the difference between a Perch of 3 or 4lb's and 7 is attainable.

[Steve Burke]

Just to clarify matters, I don't believe for one moment that this perch weighed anywhere near 7lbs. Whether this was a genuine mistake or not I don't know. However because mistakes are made, I always hesitate to call anyone a liar.