14lb 7oz specimen barbel from the River Lea

After catching a string of chub from the River Lea, Joe Royffe decided to turn his attention’s to venue’s barbel and went on to land this 14lb 7oz specimen.

The fish came within 20 minutes of the 23-year-old warehouse employee casting out his 12mm Sonubaits Elips pellet which had been wrapped in halibut paste.

He said: “When I saw how much the river had risen and the change in colour of the water I knew that the chub would be unlikely to show so decided to fish it for the barbel instead. It proved to be a wise decision,” added Joe, who used a combi-rig tied with Riverge Grand Max fluorocarbon and 12lb Drennan Sink Braid.