Barbel record set to fall this winter!
The capture of two 20lb-plus barbel from the River Thames has led many experts to predict that the national record is set to be smashed out of sight this winter.
Simon Cook banked a fish weighing 20lb 2oz from a stretch of the river while targeting carp – a fish believed to be the second-largest barbel ever caught from the waterway.
It is a different fish to the 20lb 9oz giant exclusively reported by Angling Times when it was caught by Rob Phillips in March.
However, this week camera phone pictures of what could be an even bigger fish have emerged, with some believing that it could be the new record-in-waiting.
It was caught by Paul Buckley, and despite the poor quality of the image, clearly shows a barbel of truly immense proportions.
Paul’s brother Steven confirmed that the fish went unweighed at the time, as the pair were not targeting barbel, and were in fact legering maggots with 4lb line off the back of a friend’s boat in the Walton Bridge area when they latched into the giant.
Steven told Angling Times: “We didn’t weigh it and wanted to get the fish back into the water quickly – it took a long time to land because of our undergunned tackle. We just took a quick shot and returned it to the landing net to rest in the flow. If I were to estimate its weight I would say somewhere around 20lb.”
The Thames is forecast to be the most likely candidate to break the record, and rumours of fish over the 21lb 1oz British best have circulated for several years.
In 2017 a 21lb 10oz fish was caught by a carp angler who decided not to report the catch to the press or circulate the photos.
But while the Thames remains many people’s banker bet to wrestle the title from the Great Ouse, it faces stiff competition from the River Trent, which has produced a staggering array of monster barbel to almost 20lb over the past year. And there are other rivers that rank as contenders too, with some anglers citing tidal southern rivers such as the Arun and Rother as more than capable of causing an upset.
So why are Britain’s rivers experiencing such a surge in the numbers of outsize barbel?
Many believe that it’s down to the vast amounts of high-protein baits such as pellets and boilies being introduced into rivers, along with other food sources such as mitten crabs and crayfish. However, Dr Paul Garner gave an alternative explanation.
He said: “Barbel from rivers in all four corners of the country have got markedly bigger over the past two decades, and not just those in the Trent and Thames. It’s a boom time for the species, unlike anything we’ve ever witnessed before. But the reason can’t just be down to anglers’ baits, because our rivers receive vastly different amounts of pressure.
“While some rivers hold crays and crabs, many don’t – yet their barbel have still put on huge growth. It has to be climate-related. If, in the space of a year, the water temperaturer rises by one degree, it can make a huge difference to their growth potential.
“Barbel only really ‘grow’ in water above about 12°C . Below that they just maintain their weight. Small changes in temperature can have a profound effect on a barbel’s metabolism and, therefore, its growth.”
what the experts say...
Adrian Eves
“For me it’s a two-way fight between the Thames and the Trent, and I’d marginally favour the former. There seem to be a number of different big, back-up fish and there are many stretches of the Thames that don’t see any pressure at all, so big fish can turn up anywhere.”
Paul Garner
“I think the Thames is the most likely to beat the record. It’s slower flowing, and is further south, so is slightly warmer. I’ve heard of big fish from the Henley area for years, and there are plenty of stretches that get little angling pressure where big fish could tuck themselves away. As for ‘dark horses’, I’d say that one of the tidal Sussex rivers, such as the Arun or Rother, could produce a real surprise. They get carp-fished these days, so more bait is going in, and it only takes a big fish to disappear down into the tidal reaches for a few years and then come back much bigger.”
Bob Roberts
“For me the next record has to come from either the Thames or the Trent. I’d probably favour the Thames, as it has a better record for producing fish over 18lb. But the Trent is a magnificent river, with plenty of anglers fishing it, so If we have a mild winter, who knows? I can’t see any other river throwing up a surprise to contend with these two. Many overlook stillwaters, of course, which have thrown up some very big barbel.”