The Perch is one of the most handsome of freshwater fish and one of the most aggressive predators too.

When young, it moves in large shoals, rounding up fry and crashing through them, which results in hundreds of tiny fish leaping clear of the surface in an attempt to escape.

Because the Perch is so aggressive, it is often the very first fish a young angler catches... and that sight of a proud predator displaying its dorsal fin to the world is often enough to hook an angler for life.

Unfortunately, every few years the Perch population is struck by a mystery disease which all but wipes out the entire species, but recently Perch have been bouncing back with a vengeance and experts are predicting that fish weighing more than the current record are only just around the corner. Certainly in some European countries, Perch over 9lb in weight have been caught.