Prebaiting pays off for big Thames barbel

“After Storm Christoph hit, conditions looked perfect for a big barbel from my local River Thames.

“A warm wind was forecast for a couple of days and the water temperature was rising, so I prebaited a 9ft-deep crease with boilies for two days leading up to my planned evening session.

“I arrived just on dark and baited my rig with a 3 Foot Twitch Redemption Black wafter wrapped it in matching paste before lowering the bait roughly a rodlength out from where I’d baited.

“Half-an-hour later I had a whacking wrap-round on the tip and I struck into a barbel that powered straight into the main river and went solid.

“It just hung in the main flow, which was tanking through. After a bit of a tussle, I was able to guide her towards me where she gave me a superb scrap under the rod-tip.

“At 14lb 14oz it was a Thames chunk, and I was delighted to have caught a near-15 in January.”

James Hook’s 14lb 14oz Thames barbel