Thames record smashed

The River Thames barbel record has been smashed with a fish of 19lb 8oz.

Dave Broady made angling history and landed what he described as ‘the fish of his life’ when the only bite of a session on the famous waterway produced a fish that beats the current venue record by 7oz.

The Herts specialist knows the pulling power of shop-bought luncheon meat and it was this, fished in conjunction with a simple maggot feeder rig, that saw him smash his personal best for the species.

“As it was getting dark, I changed to a hair-rigged chunk of meat straight out of the tin. Who’d have thought a fish like this would have produced a really steady take? The bobbin just lifted really slowly,” Dave told Angling Times.

“My biggest barbel before this was a Kennet fish of 14lb 10oz. This latest fish is in a league all of its own, and to catch a river record is just incredible.”

His maggot feeder was packed with meat on a rig constructed with 10lb line tied straight through to a size 12 hook.

The previous Thames record was banked by Northamptonshire’s Garry Teer in November last year, and Dave shares the opinion of many venue experts who believe that this fish is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the venue’s big-fish potential.

“I’ve been chasing barbel all over the UK for 20-odd years, but I never thought I’d be lifting any barbel this heavy out of a river in my landing net,” Dave continued.

“This fish has so much more room for growth, and this is by no means the only big barbel in this river.”

l That’s not all from this incredible waterway. Making the most of the mild temperatures also proved fruitful for Adam Reed, who banked a
7lb 15oz chub.

The Trakker Products employee said it was his ‘greatest capture to date’ when he feeder-fished mashed bread on an undisclosed stretch of the Thames. 

“The morning’s fishing was all on the stick float and maggot, when I managed to catch six chub to 4lb 14oz – although I knew of a different area that could produce a much bigger fish,” he said.

“In the afternoon, I switched to bread on the hook and fed bread mash via a micro Drennan stainless feeder, which ultimately helped get me the bite.”