Perch session produces brace of 15lb barbel

DAREN Eyles never dreamt that a perch fishing session would result in him becoming one of just a handful of anglers who can boast of catching two 15lb barbel in a session – but that’s exactly what happened when he banked a brace of specimens topped by this 15lb 10oz personal best.

He started the day targeting the stripeys in a local Bedfordshire river with feederfished lobworms, but turned his attentions to barbel after his chosen quarry proved too difficult to locate.

Armed with the same set-up, that featured 6lb line and a size 4 hook, he moved upstream and only had to wait 10 minutes before the 15lb 10oz fish found his lobworm hookbait. Just 30 minutes later his tip pulled round again and another immaculate fish weighing exactly 15lb soon lay in the folds of his landing net.

“Absolutely nothing was happening on the perch front, so I moved into the swim that I knew held barbel because I had faith that the lobworms would lure them out from the overhanging trees,” Daren told Angling Times.

“I’ve always dreamed of catching one over 15lb, so to have two in less than an hour was incredible.

“Every time I talk about the session it just doesn’t feel real - especially after I started the day fishing for a completely different species.”