O u t lo o k


T h e p e r c h i s a b o n n y f i g h t e r


M ICK C O O K SO N lo o k s a t th e p e r ch : h ow to c a t c h i t a n d w h e r e .


THE perch is perhaps the most colourful of our country’s fresh water fishes and without doubt one of the most sporting for its size: even a small fish of a few ounces will give a good account of its fighting capabilities, while a big perch will set your heart pounding and will fight hard all the way to the net.


red fins, yellow eyes, and dark stripes which adorn its flanks giving it one of its nicknames “the sergeant”, but perhaps its most striking feature is its spikey dorsal fin which it extends, often giving its captor a short sharp shock as it pricks his hand.


The perch is best described as a handsome fish with its But to be honest, it is a clumsy or inexperienced angler


who gets his hand pricked and providing you handle the perch correctly no harm will come your way.


his head and slowly move your palm along his back, his spikey dorsal fin will then lay flat while you remove your hook.


When you land your perch place your hand gently upon


record for this fish stands at 51b. 9oz. Odrm., and fish close to this weight have been taken from various venues from time to time.


There are, of course perch, and there are big perch. The


cially not in our area and the biggest perch I have seen caught was landed by Burnley angler Harry Smith during a winter league match on the Leeds-Liverpool canal at Sils- den about 10 years ago. This great fish weighted 31b 6oz and took a single bloodworm and Harry had quite a job landing it.


rare and are probably solitary fish preferring to hunt alone, and our chances of catching one like Harry’s must be remote. I consider a perch of lib to be a good one from the canal.


late father John produced big perch. One was Foulridge Reservoir at Colne and the other was Glasson Dock near Lancaster.


The perch is by nature a voracious feeder and will


readily accept most baits; such as maggots, worms, casters, small livebaits and I have even caught them on corn. Once a shoal is contacted it is possible on some occasions to take fish after fish, and Burnley Centre N.A.A. junior member Craig Ludlam had such a- day last summer on the canal at Bank Hall.


watched him and, although they were all small, Craig more then appreciated them!


Using Pinkie bait, Craig took fish after fish whilst I A few years ago I took nearly 200 fish from a peg


near County Brook on a bitterly cold winters day. The peg didn’t look very good and I could see the bed of the canal a good five feet out from the bank where it suddenly shelved into deeper water, but even this deep water was only 3 Vi feet deep.


The fish however, must have been shoaled shoulder


to shoulder and every cast brought a bite to my blood­ worm baited hook.


selves in the margins where they are constantly chasing and feeding on the fry of other fish which fall easy prey to the perch’s predatory attacks. At these times, a bait pre­ sented near the disturbance will often result in a good fish being landed.


During the summer months, perch often show them­ Perch seem to show well if there is a weedbed in the


swim and the reason for this is probably two-fold. Firstly, the small fish on which the perch feed will be close to the weeds, and secondly, the weed will help camouflage the perch until it attacks its prey. Malham Tarm is probably the best perch water in our


During the 50’s and 60’s, two waters I fished with my Fish of this size are present then, but they must be Fish of this size are not common however and espe­


to take a really big one. The water is only open between April to September and can only be fished from a row boat, available at the Malham Tarn Field Centre, where


area, and the fish are all decent size, borne years ago fish of between 21b — 31b were a possibility, but whether they are still present now. 1 don t know. There are still plenty oi perch present, nut i ve yet


you book your day ticket. I have fished the Tarn with Mick Lawton, Mick Arrows-


mith and Dennis Holmes and each time sport was best described as hectic. No place for lib toms this, it’s 31b or 41b B.S. line tied direct to a size 14 hook baited with a couple of


worms and when the float disappears, get ready for fire- T hose noreh fieht like demons, they don’t know


A f i r s t - c l a s s e x p e r i e n c e


FIRST class service, first class food and a genuine warm welcome. All are available at the Belvedere Restaurant, Read. The bright lights of the


Belvedere can be seen for miles. For this renowned restaurant commands spec­ tacular views across the countryside which can be savoured during a pre-din­ ner aperitif in the cocktail bar overlooking the floodlit patio. We were welcomed by


“mine h o s ts” Richard R ob in son and Kevin Dewhurst and soaked up the convivial atmosphere. Surveying the a-la-carte


menu, I was delighted to see it offered clearly differ­ ent and temptingly interest­ ing choices. I selected home-made


chicken liver pate accom­ panied by Oxford sauce.


Meanwhile, my son opted for avocado pear, fanned and served with strips of smoked turkey and rasp­ berry vinaigrette. For the main course we moved from the printed


menu to the specials board. I chose prime pork fillet with apple sauce, and my son lemon sole topped with crab mousse served with a mushroom sauce. Fresh vegetables including broc­ coli, carrots, swede, new and dauphinois potatoes were served on side plates. To accompany our meal,


A D V E R T I S E M E N T ,5 S f F E A T U R E


/ '


we opted for Macon Vil­ lages, a wine with a nutty, yeasty depth with a touch of honey and fresh apples. The choice of desserts


attention paid to every detail was a feature. Not once did I have to refill my glass, the waiter was on hand to do so, discreetly. Coffee rounded off an


was excellent. After much pondering, we selected chocolate mousse and fresh fruit salad featuring straw­ berries and star fruit. Throughout the meal, the


popular misconception appears to be that it is, in their own words, “very expensive and only for spe­ cial occasions." In actual fact, it is one of the very best value-for-money res­ taurants in the area. New for this year is the


excellent evening at a res­ taurant where service and satisfaction are top priority. I shall certainly return. The Belvedere was taken


over by Richard and Kevin in November last year. A


I t used to be Italian People thought it 'posh'. I t used to be expensive, But they served up good "nosh ".


Now it's more traditional, English cuisine. Definitely not Nouvelle, Our portions aren't that mean. Run by two great guy's. That, dress in trendy suits. Clare, our lady chef, She wears bovver boots.


The staff they are a friendly bunch, They come from near and far. There's Eileen, Esther, Gemma and foe, Oh! and there's Bob, on the bar.


So come on down and try us out, We're sure you 'll all agree. For excellent food and service, The Belvedere, it's got to be.


CBeCvedere. the Restaurant W H I N S L A N E , R E A D , N R . B U R N L E Y


Telephone: 0282 72170


panied by a live jazz band. Those preferring iradnional fare are also catered for with roast beef and York­ shire pudding available


every Sunday. T h e


restaurant’s lunchtime operation, offering a bar lunch and a speciality menu, which the proprietors feel will appeal to business peo­ ple in a hurry. Another innovation is the


r e s t a u r a n t c a n


Belvedere’s American-style Sunday brunch, served from 11-30 a.m. to 3-30 p.m. every Sunday and accom­


accommodate up to 80 peo­ ple in one room which can be separated from the con­ servatory restaurant. For meetings involving 25 or more people, the proprie­ tors guarantee sole use of all the facilities. All in all, the Belvedere


Restaurant is certainly worth a visit. GRAHAM AND JOHN ROBBINS


N O W F E A T U R I N G B U S I N E S S L U N C H


£ 7 . 2 5


Soup of tile Day or Melon


Sirloin Steak or Grilled Salmon Steak Cheese & Biscuits


or Sweet of the Day. Coffee


12 n o o n till 2 p.m . F o r r e s e r v a t i o n s p l e a s e t e l e p h o n e (0282) 8 3 1 6 6 9


C O W L A N E , B U R N L E Y (Off St Janies Street. Behind Bingo Hall


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