Digging for barbel victory!

Digging out an overgrown area to create a new peg paid dividends for Andy Degville when he banked this 11lb 3oz barbel from the River Trent. The Tamworth angler made the short journey to a stretch in the middle reaches and hacked through dense foliage in order to make a comfortable spot.

Several chub to just shy of 3lb fell for his Bacon Spam hookbait but it was the double-figure barbel that made all the hard work worthwhile.

The fish were beaten on a leger rig made up of 15lb mainline and a 12lb fluoro hooklength to a size 8 hook.