Monster 17lb 2oz barbel caught by angler on the River Thames
A brace of barbel totaling 30lb 4oz is thought to be one of the biggest ever recorded from the River Thames.
The fish tipped the scales at 17lb 2oz and 13lb 2oz and found their way into the net of specialist angler Pete Hollingworth after he primed a swim on the River Thames.
Pete's 17lb 2oz monster Barbel made it a fantastic brace on the river Thames.
He visited the river to introduce particles, including pellets and chopped boilies, on three separate occasions leading up to his incredible session.
As the waterway was carrying extra colour, he opted for large hookbaits that comprised two 18 mm fish-flavoured boilies wrapped in a matching paste – and this was a decision that produced the goods.
“It had been a tough season on the river. Normally I do a lot of carping on the Thames, but they just haven’t been around, so I’ve switched to barbel,” said Pete.
“When there’s a lot of colour in the water I’ve found that big, smelly baits are the way forward. Not only are they large and easy to see, but the fish flavour, coupled with the paste, gets the attraction leaking off and will pull barbel into the area.”
This 13lb 2oz Barbel was a lovely catch.
The larger of the two barbel set a new personal best and beats his previous biggest for the species that stood at 16lb 11oz.
Pete presented his baits on a simple rig made from 12lb line, an 18ins hooklink and a size 6 wide gape hook.
“To catch a 17lb 2oz barbel is one hell of an achievement for me, but to back it up with another double for a barbel brace weighing over 30lb is one of
my best catches to date,” Pete
added.
“The Thames is always full of surprises and you never know, I might get a few more chances at some big fish before the season comes to an end.”
Monster 5lb River Thames perch is caught while lure fishing
This is one of the biggest Thames perch ever at 5lb 5oz.
Justin Beale described the fight that the huge fish put up as ‘the most ferocious that he’s ever experienced’ when he fished a snaggy area.
Justin Beale's huge 5lb 5oz Thames perch was caught on a lure.
The experienced specialist certainly knows exactly where the venues big predators hang out when it’s carrying extra water and milder winter sparks fish into feeding.
After searching around areas among the sunken trees in his swim, he decided to cast his lure into open water and this is when he set his hook into the specimen.
“Big perch don’t spend all of their time around snags as they venture into open water to hunt and that’s where this fish was when it smashed into my lure,” said Justin.
“It was on my fifth cast on a really slow retrieve when I got the take and it came straight to the surface, shook its head and then I didn’t see it again for around 10 minutes. The fight was incredible.
It’s a capture that further proves Justin’s intimate knowledge of the vast waterway as this is the third perch over 5lb he’s banked as he’s previously landed fish weighing 5lb 9oz and 5lb 1oz.
The winning bait was a Keitech Swing Impact that was coupled with a light rod, 4lb braid and a fluorocarbon leader.
“Some anglers spend way too long on the bank,” Justin continued.
“I watched the weather charts and saw the warmer weather coincided with the influx of extra water and I knew exactly where the big perch would be. You only need to be in the right place at the right time and for me this is usually for an hour or two after work and this was the case on this occasion.