Final session barbel glory

The final session of the river season will be one Gary Lucas will always remember after he slipped the net under two double-figure barbel topped by a 14lb 11oz specimen.

Fishing on an unnamed stretch of the River Thames, the 3FT Baits tester fed just small amounts of broken boilies in PVA bags with matching boilies on the hook to tempt his brace, which also included an 11lb 14oz barbel. He said: “I have fished the Thames for nearly 30 years now and it never gives up its treasured possessions that easy. For some reason this season has been one of the toughest I’ve known. I’ve only caught probably half the fish of previous seasons, so to get these two was superb.”