Autumn Canal Perch

After a fruitless three hours on the River Douglas at Gathurst a switch to the canal was exactly the right thing on a mild October afternoon. Fishing next to some over-hanging trees on the far bank it was a matter of minutes before I hooked a lovely roach of around four ounces. Not big but a very welcome catch on a day that looked increasingly like being blank.This was followed by another three roach - albeit much smaller ones. It's good to see that these still exist in the canal and surely we are the envy of many a water that has been decimated by cormorants.
As time began to run out and with dusk fast approaching the float dipped again and I could feel that familiar jagged fight of a perch. A spirited tussle finished with me sliding the net under a fine fish of around 12 ounces.
My first perch from the canal and what a beautifully coloured and marked fish it was too.