Early Saturday morning I headed off to the River Loddon in search of perch.

I had checked the weather the previous evening and conditions looked promising.  Arriving at the venue just before dawn it began to rain heavily and I started to wonder if I had made the correct choice and maybe the barbel kit would have been a better bet.

Two hours later and it looked like I had made the right decision.  After two small pike, two nice perch weighing 3lb 0oz and 3lb 6oz were being held aloft for the camera.  Looking in great condition, both falling for small live baits presented under a loafer float.  Feeding small but regular balls of P mix ground bait mixed dry to create a cloud effect throughout the water column and regular feeding with maggots helped localize the bait fish and the predators weren’t far behind.