River Dearne barbel record
Wayne Hopkinson has smashed the River Dearne barbel record with the capture of this 15lb 4oz specimen.
The Rotherham-based rod targeted a rarely fished area of the South Yorkshire waterway and cast out a simple blockend maggot feeder rig over a shallow gravel bar surrounded by lots of streamer weed.
Wayne told Angling Times: “To see the size of this fish from such a small river was a shock and a real eye opener to us. I had only decided to fish the river as I’d heard a rumour of a big fish with a distinctive bend in tail.”
The previous biggest barbel reported from the River Dearne was a fish of 11lb 1oz caught by Michael Tackacs in October 2011.
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Quick overnighter produces 11lb barbel from River Thames
A quick overnight session on the River Thames came up trumps for Sam Meeuwissen in the form of this stunning 11lb 10oz barbel.
The Gardner Tackle sponsored angler also banked brace of 5lb chub from the undisclosed stretch before eventually finding a way through to his desired quarry using a single hair-rigged Sticky Krill boilie cast over a bed of loose offerings next to an overhanging bush. It tested the full strain of Sam’s 12lb Hydro Tuff main line before eventually gracing the net. “On such a cold, misty morning it was a relief to have finally caught what I’d come for.”
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Season's best barbel banked
The biggest barbel of the season has been banked in the form of this 17lb 2oz specimen.
The fish, known as ‘Bullet Hole’, was caught by Alan Cornwell from a Burton Mutual Angling Association controlled stretch of the River Dove in Staffordshire following a month long baiting campaign.
It is the second time Alan has landed the specimen which became his new personal best for the second time having weighed 1oz more than when he first caught it back in February 2012. The capture follows a string of double-figure fish banked by the Stoke-on-Trent-based rod including fish of 13lb 9oz, 13lb 8oz, 11lb 2oz and 11lb 6oz during his last four visits.
After regularly pre-baiting the swim with Cutting Edge mixed particles he fished a weedy shallow run and cast out a feeder filled with homemade paste in conjunction with two hair-rigged 15mm HG Dip boilies. The tip was pulled round shortly afterwards and following a dogged fight he netted the sought-after specimen. This was quickly backed up with a second fish of 11lb 12oz – his 15th double of the season.
“I am so chuffed to have caught this awesome fish again but it’s not without the help of friends like fellow angler John Davey - we all baited and fished the same swim to help keep the fish on the feed and it worked a treat,” he told Angling Times.
Also getting in on the action this week, was Gardner Tackle’s Alan Stagg, who netted a 15lb 8oz barbel on only his second river session of the season.
The Hampshire-based all-rounder targeted a Thames tributary and used a homemade bait dropper to introduce a mixture of hemp, corn and chopped CC Moore Odyssey XXX boilies no more than a rod length from the bank before positioning his rig.
He said: “Initially I thought it was a small fish, but the longer the fight went on, the more promising it looked.”
Alan mounted a trimmed boilie tipped with a piece of Enterprise imitation corn on a size 8 Gardner size 8 Covert Wide Gape Talon Tip hook and a 15lb Trickster Heavy hooklink.
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Teenager bags 400lb of River Trent barbel
Teenage angler Kaylan Cooper-Guinness may be in the early years of his career but he’ll struggle to ever beat his latest session after banking an incredible 400lb of barbel from the River Trent.
The Nottingham-based youth arrived at dusk and cast out a maggot feeder packed with hemp with three grains of corn on the hook.
Indications came almost instantly and it wasn’t long before he was doing battle with his first fish of the session.
Over the next six hours the 18-year-old slipped the net under a total of 51 fish, with the best specimen going 14lb 2oz on the scales.
“I have been fishing since I was seven-years-old and I have never experienced anything like it,” explained Kaylan.
“I barely had a second to rest, with fish taking the bait as soon as it hit the bottom. It was a session I’ll never forget,” he added.
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Youngster banks a 12lb 4oz Wye barbel
Teenager Charlie Dempsey proved that you don’t need years of experience to catch big barbel when he landed this 12lb 4oz specimen.
The 16-year-old from Newport, South Wales, was fishing a middle section of the River Wye in a spot where he had previously caught his personal best, a fish weighing 13lb, just weeks earlier. Charlie tempted the prized fish using a 3oz Korum cage feeder with 15lb flouro hooklink and a double pellet mounted on a size 7 Drennan Barbel hook.
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Eighth double figure barbel of the year for Thomas Finney
This 15lb 4oz barbel is Thomas Finney’s eighth double figure specimen of the year from the River Ouse.
The Bedfordshire-based 23-year-old adopted his usual roving approach and after blanking in several swims he found a spot with two submerged trees and dropped a baited rig alongside one of them.
He said: “Around 20 minutes had passed and I was on my phone when the rod was nearly pulled off the rest. I jumped out of my chair and lost my footing on the steep slippery bank and slid down but managed to grab my rod in the process! The fish did its best to find sanctuary in the trees but thankfully I was able to safely steer it towards the net.”
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16lb barbel landed on a broken rod
Mike Lyddon endured the most hair-raising fight of his life when he landed this 16lb 6oz personal best barbel from a Thames tributary on a rod that snapped moments after setting the hook.
The Gardner Tackle sales rep had prebaited a spot on the waterway for a week, introducing large quantities of particles, pellets and boilies in preparation for the session.
On arrival he flicked out a 14mm CC Moore Odyssey XXX boilie tipped with a piece of imitation and less than half an hour later his tip wrapped round.
Disaster struck just seconds in to the fight, though, when his rod broke, and with the fish still attached, he was forced to quickly improvise.
“When I first got the bite I thought I was in to a carp and then the rod crumbled,” said Mike. “I was using a centrepin reel so I was able to gently winch the fish and rest of the rod towards me and when I first saw the barbel I knew it was something special.
“It was my first session on the stretch this year and I’d dedicated the next couple of months to a big barbel. Incredibly, the mission was achieved within half an hour!” he added.
His successful rig consisted of 15lb Gardner Kinetic braided mainline and a Trickster Heavy hooklink attached to a size 8 Covert Wide Gape Talon Tip hook.
Further north, River Dove expert John Davey used his vast knowledge of the waterway to land a trio of barbel in a week for a combined total of over 40lb.
Targeting a Stoke-on-Trent AS-controlled stretch, the club chairman and professional coach located a shallow gravel run before baiting it with particles and Sticky Krill boilies.
On the opening session of the campaign he was rewarded with a 13lb 2oz barbel and days later the action continued with a 12lb specimen.
But the best was yet to come and he sealed a memorable hat-trick with a 15lb 4oz fish.
“I have fished the venue a lot in recent years and the biggest was my fifth over 15lb from the river. I was on the verge of heading home for the night when the fish took my boilie hookbait,” explained John, who used a 20lb hooklink and a size 6 Drennan Barbel hook.
“The Dove has produced lots of double figure fish to 13lb of late but few bigger so I am delighted with my latest achievement.”
For more details on booking a coaching session on the Dove visit www.johndaveygofishing.co.uk
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New swim results in 14lb 14oz barbel
Visiting a new swim paid on the River Kennet paid off handsomely for Paul Codman as he slipped the net under this 14lb 14oz personal best barbel.
The Fleet-based rod has scoured the waterway for hotspots in recent years and decided to pitch up in a peg that he had previously ignored on numerous occasions.
A bed of boilies dipped in sausage sizzle glug were introduced mid river and the pungent scent soon drew in the lump.
“The fish felt heavy and stayed deep throughout the fight. When it surfaced it came up on its side and I could see the depth of the fish and it looked huge!” explained Paul.
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Long trip to the River Trent ends in 12lb barbel
A 200-mile round trip proved more than worthwhile for Darren Hurst as he banked this personal best 12lb 2oz barbel from the River Trent.
The Bolton-based angler made the long journey to a stretch of the middle reaches and presented a 14mm Three Foot Twitch Dubby boilie in the fast current.
The fish capped off a memorable session during which Darren also landed another six fish to just over double figures.
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Perseverance pays off with 13lb Ouse barbel
The decision to persevere on the River Ouse proved to be a wise one for Garry Tear after he landed this 13lb 1oz barbel.
A string of blanks on the waterway had left the Wellingborough-based rod contemplating a move to either the River Severn, Wye or Trent. Determined not to be beaten, however, he decided to have one more session.
With the water levels fairly low, he set-up a rig consisting of a light lead and a long hooklink with an 8mm boilie hookbait and a PVA bag of freebies.
He said: “After several sessions without a bite I was delighted with this double figure specimen.”
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16lb 1oz specimen tops big week for barbel
The nation’s barbel anglers have taken advantage of the improving conditions this week with a number rivers hitting top form again.
The biggest specimen was caught by Luke Ayling who landed a fish of 16lb 1oz during an overnight session on the River Thames.
Just days earlier the Oxfordshire-based rod had landed a 14lb 3oz barbel from a local stretch of the waterway and he returned to find the venue holding plenty of colour as a result of the heavy rain. He cast out a Lone Angler Sausage Sizzle Squab and shortly after the nearby church’s bells struck midnight he received a fast take.
“I initially thought it was a carp. I didn’t realise the true size of the barbel until I got it in the net and when I shone my head torch on it I had a few choice words – it was massive,” said Luke, who used a 15lb Lone Angler braid hooklink to a size 6 Pallatrax hook.
He was woken again shortly afterwards with another take. “Once again I knew I was into a very big fish. Incredibly, it was the same fish I’d landed at 14lb 3oz just days before!”
Elsewhere, an effort to raise thousands of pounds for charity via a unique challenge ended in success, with four anglers achieving their target of landing at least fourteen double figure barbel in as many days.
Phil Smith, Dave Chambers, Paul Floyd and event organiser Jerry Gleeson covered almost every major river in the UK in the process, with the biggest fish taken by Paul with a 15lb 2oz fish from the Kings Weir stretch of the River Lea.
Other notable fish taken during the quest – which ended with them collecting almost £3,000 for the Army Benevolent Fund – included Jerry’s 13lb 10oz barbel from the Colne and Dave’s 13lb 3oz Kennet specimen.
Staying on the River Kennet, Travis Robertson targeted an under-fished backed and landed a 14lb 4oz barbel, beating his previous best for the species by 4lb.
Returning to angling after a few years out, the 24-year-old visited the Reading DAA stretch after a rain storm where he fished a PVA bag filled with halibut pellets and a 12mm pellet hair-rigged on a size 8 Korum hook.
In-form barbel angler Thomas Finney also got in on the action, using a simple attack to attract a 15lb beast from a Midlands waterway.
The 23-year-old took his seventh double of the year from the waterway after he adopted a roving approach, rolling meat in several swims before his supermarket offering was taken.
Finally, a 500-mile round trip for Marcus Weaver from his Welsh home to the River Trent proved more than worthwhile as he took his first ever double in the form of a 14lb 4oz whisker.
A Three Foot Twitch Rubby Dubby boilie was the bait responsible for the capture, and Marcus said: “I thought I’d hooked the bottom until it started to plod off. Gaining control was tough but perseverance tired the fish out and it eventually surrendered.”
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Prebaiting rewarded with 14lb 3oz Thames barbel
Luke Ayling’s determination and effort on the River Thames were rewarded with the capture of this superb 14lb 3oz barbel.
The Oxfordshire-based rod had prebaited a local stretch of the waterway for over a month with Lone Angler Sausage Sizzle pellets.
His first outing produced a trio of chub to over 6lb, but just days later he returned during horrendous conditions and fed several pints of hemp over a gravel bar.
“The light was just starting to peak through the night sky when one of my rods tore off. The fish used all its energy to escape but my kit was up to the task and the barbel was soon in the net,” said Luke, who used an 18mm pellet hookbait.
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Huge River Avon barbel pulls rod from rest
This 13lb 8oz barbel was caught by James Champkin during a session on the Hampshire Avon.
His first day on the river only produced a chub of 5lb 1oz but on the second day the Norfolk-based all-rounder baited two swims with a mix of hemp, pellets and 10mm boilies.
“After no action in the first swim I moved to my second prebaited area – a very deep run just a rod length out, leading to a fallen tree,” said James.
“Within 15 minutes I had a savage bite that pulled the rod from the rest and after a short but powerful fight I managed to bundle my new personal best in to the net.”
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Stunning 12lb barbel from Warwickshire Avon
Prebaiting a virtually unfished area on the upper-reaches of the Warwickshire Avon paid off for Chris Mutton with the capture of this stunning 12lb 14oz barbel.
The local rod fed a swim for two weeks before embarking on a short overnight session.
On arrival he baited a gully two rod lengths out tight to an overhanging bush with two bait droppers filled with pellets and broken Lone Angler Multi Grub Squabs.
He said: “No more than 20 minutes later the rod arched over and after a powerful I netted a cracking barbel.”
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11lb barbel best of seven from River Nene
Short sessions have proved to be the key to success for Adam Lowbridge whose run of form on the River Nene culminated in the capture of his first ever double figure barbel.
The Peterborough-based rod has been fishing short 4 hour morning and evening sessions on a backwater of the popular waterway, landing seven fish in the space of a couple of days.
This 11lb specimen was the pick of the bunch and fell to a Premium Carp Baits’ Pickle and Krill 14mm boilie mounted on a size 8 Drennan Super Specialist hook and a 4ft, 0.26 Power Line hooklink. This was fished in conjunction with a 30g feeder filled with Sonubaits Elliptical pellets and groundbait.
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Teme barbel 11oz short of river record
The River Teme barbel record came agonisingly close to being broken last week with the capture of this 14lb 12oz specimen.
It was caught by big fish angler Anthony Wilson from an upper stretch of the waterway in Worcestershire and is just 11oz short of the current venue best held by John Churchill with his 15lb 7oz specimen landed back in 2006.
Upon arrival at the waterway the Pershore-based rod wasted no time heading to a known fish-holding spot where he opted for a stealthy approach in order to not disturb the fish in shallow water.
With this in mind, the 33-year-old set-up an ultra-light running lead with 12lb mono mainline and a 12lb braided hooklink tied to a size 6 Drennan Barbel hook. Feeding cubes of luncheon meat before quietly lowering a hair-rigged piece pepperoni sausage meat into a fast-flowing channel, he was soon doing battle with the huge fish which took nearly half an hour to land. It was all worth it for a delighted Anthony who smashed his previous personal best for the species by more than 2lb.
He told Angling Times: “I knew there were fish in the swim as I had caught them from there before and had seen a few moving around earlier in the summer.
“This river used to be really good but since the floods a year ago the fishing has been much harder. I was really chuffed to land this fish but even so I am convinced there are still bigger fish to be had from the stretch - possibly a venue record so I will definitely be fishing this spot again soon... watch this space!” he added.
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One take on River Trent is 15lb 10oz barbel
Adam Seeley only received one take during an evening session on the River Trent – but he wasn’t complaining as it resulted in this 15lb 10oz barbel.
Targeting a Worksop Angling Association controlled stretch of the Nottinghamshire waterway, the venue regular tempted his new personal best with two hair-rigged 8mm pellets fished alongside a PVA bag filled with pellets, hemp and caster.
He said: “I’ve lost some real monsters on this stretch and I believe I’m only starting to scratch the surface on this truly unknown part of the river.”
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Barbel blitz on River Ouse
A little-and-often baiting approach did the trick for Julian Barnes when a prolific few days fishing on the River Ouse produced a series of big barbel to 11lb 7oz.
The specimen hunter from St Neots, Cambs, put his faith in small PVA bags filled with a mix that he’s been testing for MAD Baits, in conjunction with a boilie hookbait produced by the same company.
He also netted fish weighing 11lb 5oz, 11lb 3oz, 9lb 11oz along with a 22lb 11oz carp during a handful of sessions on the popular waterway.
“I introduced this great bag mix through a small bait dropper and via PVA bags because I didn’t want any feed in the swim but just a few attractors to put a good scent in the water,” Julian told Angling Times.
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13lb 6oz barbel from River Thames
This 13lb 6oz barbel was caught by Paul Le Croissette during a session on the River Thames.
The Surrey-based owner of Forking Good Catapults baited a spot on the waterway with a bed of small pellets and then cast a legered 12mm halibut pellet over the top.
The first couple of hours passed without event but his rod was almost ripped off the rest towards the end of the trip.
“It just kept stripping line off my reel and I instantly knew I was in to a big fish. I’ve landed barbel to 14lb 9oz but this was among the most stunning I’ve ever had,” said Paul, who used 15lb mainline and a 2ft hooklink to a size 12 hook.
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Giant Loddon barbel is all thanks to Facebook
Big fish man Neil Maidment had Facebook to thank after landing a personal best barbel weighing 14lb 13oz.
The 39-year-old from Fleet, Hants, arrived on his local stretch of the River Loddon only to find most of the spots had been taken. But after receiving some advice from a friend on the popular social networking site he moved to a quieter stretch where the huge fish fell for his single hookbait and no feed approach.
Neil’s straight lead presentation included a size 10 Drennan Specimen Barbless hook tied to 14 inches of 8lb Drennan Gravel Braid.
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