Big barbel landed from across the country.
A colossal 19lb 11oz barbel has topped another fantastic week for the species, which saw dozens of specimens banked from numerous rivers across the country.
The record-nudging fish fell to Essex angler Paul Faint when it took a liking to a couple of hair-rigged 10mm pellets fished on an undisclosed stretch of the River Thames.
Speaking to Angling Times, Paul described the effort it took to catch such a specimen from a very difficult stretch of the waterway.
He said: “Despite it being cold I decided to try an overnight session on a stretch of the Thames that is notoriously hard for barbel. I had a gut feeling that there could be a real chance of a huge fish.
“I’ve done about 20 overnighters in the past two years on this bit of water with only one 8lb barbel to show for it – but I just knew there was bigger fish somewhere there for the taking.”
Paul, who receives a third weekly Drennan Cup award for his catch, fed four pints of hemp and a pint of 4mm pellets to a line of clean gravel in the middle of the river, knowing that this would offer his best chance of a bite.
It was a decision that proved fruitful roughly three hours into his session, when the huge fish took off with his bait.
“When I struck at the bite the fish tore off 20 yards of line and made for an overhanging tree. I slowly pumped the reel to try and get it back out,” Paul added, “and luckily I succeeded.
“After a 10-minute battle the barbel crossed the net cord, and after it was carefully weighed and witnessed by a friend I rested it and returned it to the water.
“This was the only bite of a night that was bitterly cold, but it was well worth the effort.”
On the right is the pick of the week’s other big-barbel...
1) A trip to the APG Fisheries stretch of the River Trent at Gunthorpe paid off in spades for George Gorst when he slipped the net under this 17lb 2oz monster.
The Manchester angler usually spends three or four sessions a year fishing Gunthorpe for barbel, but struck gold on his first visit of 2018 to the prolific venue.
He told Angling Times: “The first 24 hours was quiet, so a mate and I decided to put more bait in – and around midnight my rod sprang into action.
“My initial thoughts were that it wasn’t that big a fish, but when I got it a few rodlengths out it started taking line and began to plod around as the bigger ones tend to do.
“I couldn’t believe it when the scales read 17lb 2oz – it beat my old personal best by over 4lb!”
George caught the large barbel alongside two 11-pounders by fishing NBD Pro Sushi boilies snowman-style attached to 4ft combi rigs with a running 4oz lead.
2) Despite an unfavourable north-easterly wind, clear water and freezing temperatures, top Trent man Brett Longthorne managed to slip the net under this 16lb 2oz personal-best barbel.
To draw the fish into his swim the 3FT-backed angler fed a bed of garlic hemp alongside a scattering of 3 Foot Twitch SG1 10mm boilies.
He said: “I wasn’t expecting any bites due to the poor conditions. The rods went out at 2.30am on a high tide and the downstream rod soon flew off!
“After a solid fight, I slipped the net under a big barbel. She went 16lb 2oz and was yet another another PB!”
3) The River Dearne barbel record was rocked this week with the capture of this 14lb 2oz beauty.
It fell to 24-year-old Adam Lau from Barnsley, who targeted a section of the South Yorkshire river with Dynamite Baits Tigernut boilies fished on a running rig.
He told Angling Times: “I baited up my swim with hemp and a few crushed boilies before fishing, then cast out just before dark.
“The bite bent the rod double and the fish tried its best to get under some near-bank trees – but after half-an-hour and a lot of side strain I managed to get the fish out and into the net.”
4) Heavy rain didn’t dampen Stephane Van Langenberg’s spirits as he fished on to catch this mighty 12lb 6oz barbel from the River Lea. The 30-year-old business development manager from Enfield told Angling Times: “When it surfaced I couldn’t believe how big it looked. It was a proud moment.”
Stephane’s big Lea bertie was caught on meat presented on a simple running leger over a spot he had been feeding throughout the session with a bait dropper.
5) Barbel don’t come much better looking than this 14lb 7oz fish caught by Simon Asbury from the Derbyshire Derwent.
Fishing in the aftermath of strong winds caused by Storm Callum, Simon used a 12mm Sticky Baits Krill Dumbbell to tempt the specimen, which fought hard in the fast-running current.
