Monster barbel tops run of huge fish
An incredible week for huge river barbel has seen a 17lb specimen and four others over 16lb banked from rivers across the country.
The in-form River Trent leads the way, and Nottingham’s Paul Mirfin admitted to being ‘on cloud nine’ when he smashed his personal best for the species with a pristine 17-pounder.
Fishing a stretch of the middle river, the 42-year-old forklift driver banked the fish from a swim he’d prebaited with Trent Baits shrimp boilies before legering a 20mm bottom bait on the hair.
Hampshire rod Aaron Choat hit the jackpot during his first-ever session on the River Trent when he slipped the net under a 16lb 10oz barbel. He was fishing a middle section of the waterway as aguest on a guided fishing trip with 3FootTwitch Baits boss Richard Easom.
Chris Mullins found success on the River Trent after besting this 16lb 8oz specimen on Dynamite Baits Tiger Nut Red-Amo boilies. Nottingham-based Chris fished a deep bend in the river and introduced a bed of groundbait, hempseed, corn, birdseed and crushed boilies via a large feeder to pull the fish into the swim.
A split cane rod and centrepin reel were Lionel Martin’s Thames secret weapons used to boat a 7lb 4oz chub and this 16lb 10oz barbel (pictured). The angler from Slough netted them both on a trip with son Leigh, fishing a Mainline Spicy Crab boilie hair-rigged to a size 8 Korda Wide Gape hook.
Joel Flello was fishing his local stretch of a river in Wales when he set his hook into an impressive 16lb 2oz personal best.
The River Severn has been on top barbel form, and 73-year-old George Hinds cashed in on the bonanza with this new 15lb 2oz personal best. The angler from Eastbourne, East Sussex used a 12mm pellet to beat his previous best that stood at 14lb 10oz.
A 12lb 10oz barbel is a huge fish for the River Tees, and it provided a new personal best for Angling Dynamics-backed Glynn Brown, who fished two 15mm boilies after locatinga small deviation in the bed of his local waterway.
Cleveland’s MatthewSculley had every reason to celebrate when the River Swale produced the goods in the shape of this 12lb 4oz personal best barbel. A 14mm pellet was the winning hookbait for the 41-year-old joiner, who cast a simple fixed lead rig mid-river.
