Small pellets lure giant barbel from Warks Avon

The Warwickshire Avon has continued its rich vein of current form for big barbel by producing another fish-of-a-lifetime in the shape of this 15lb 8oz specimen.

After finding the stretch very busy with other anglers on his recent visit, captor Adam Davies opted for a swim that he ‘would have never chosen’ as it boasted no obvious fish-holding features.

However, the chub clearly hadn’t read the rulebook because he was soon cradling a fish that shattered his personal best for the species by 3lb.

The angler, from just outside Gloucester, legered two hair-rigged 8mm pellets and nicked a small pva bag filled with smaller offerings onto his size 10 hook to tempt the huge barbel, which is one of the biggest ever caught from the famous waterway and follows the capture of a 15lb 7oz fish that was featured in last week’s Angling Times.

“I would have never chosen to fish this swim in a million years, but that just goes to show how unpredictable fishing can be,” said Adam.

“I’ve been trying to catch a fish like this for over two years and I really don’t think I’ll ever better it.”