Two barbel for 31lb
John and his pair of huge Thames barbel.
This is a picture of one of the biggest braces of Thames barbel ever landed.
The fish, weighing 16lb 6oz and 14lb 10oz, were taken by Londoner John Llewellyn from an unnamed stretch of the waterway. The Lone Angler-backed big-fish man tempted them on paste-wrapped KS15 balanced Wafter boilies, after prebaiting a swim for a few days.
John only decided to go barbel fishing after carefully watching both the weather and lunar forecasts. He told Angling Times: “I was aware that a low pressure system was coming in at end of the week, and I also knew it would be just a few days before the full moon – which is a key moment in the lunar cycle when it comes to fish feeding.”
John used a size 6 hook and 15in hooklink to make his catch.
A 2lb Thames roach milestone
This is Martin Salter’s first-ever 2lb roach from the River Thames.
The National Campaigns Coordinator for the Angling Trust fished a stretch of the tidal Thames at Chiswick, West London, and used a groundbait feeder with worm and maggot on a size 12 hook.
He started picking up a few bream before the roach put in an appearance. Then, after switching to a lighter feeder and three red maggots on a size 14 hook, he began to connect more easily with the tentative bites and took a pair of specimen redfins topped by his first Thames two-pounder.
“I’ve been lucky enough to have caught 2lb-plus roach from eight different rivers, but never one from my beloved River Thames,” he said.
First-ever barbel weighs in at 16lb!
A debut barbel fishing session produced two fish with a combined weight of more than 30lb for Scott Smith.
The 24-year-old, from Crowmarsh in Oxfordshire, became the envy of many when his first-ever of the species topped the scales at 16lb and was quickly followed by a 15lb 4oz barbel .
He targeted a local stretch of the River Thames, hair-rigging a Sticky Baits Krill boilie in conjunction with a PVA bag of boilies and pellets.
“I’ve never caught a barbel before so to catch two was brilliant, but I wasn’t expecting anything of this size,” said Scott.
“My mate, who knows all about fishing for barbel and carp on running water, gave me some tips which I think really helped me, plus this was the first time I’d tried fishing my own rigs. They were nothing fancy at all because I’m still learning.
“I really can’t believe my luck because I wouldn’t have caught the second barbel if I hadn’t decided to leave one of my rods out for five more minutes as I packed away the rest of my gear.
“It’s by far the best session on a river I’ve ever had.”
Up until this incredible catch, Scott’s biggest river fish was a 5lb chub. The simple rig that proved the downfall of his two barbel consisted of a Korda 20lb N-Trap coated braid hooklink attached to a size 6 hook.