Double- figure barbel still on the feed...

Reports of double-figure barbel continue to flood into the Angling Times newsdesk from rivers up and down the country. 

Could this be the year we see a new record? If recent captures are anything to go by, the prospects are looking very good indeed…

Peter Morgan  | 15lb 12oz

Peter Morgan secured his new personal-best barbel during a day session on the River Lea’s famous Kings Weir Fishery in Hertfordshire.

After a bad start, which resulted in Peter getting a soaking on the way to his swim, his luck changed when his reel screamed off with this immaculate 15lb 12oz specimen.

The superb fish fell to a hair-rigged piece of luncheon meat alongside a feeder packed with groundbait and pellets.

Brett Longthorne | 14lb 12oz

High pressure and low, clear water didn’t stop Brett Longthorne from catching ‘the best-looking barbel he has ever seen’ at 14lb 12oz. Fishing a section of the tidal Trent, Brett connected with a slow take and was soon doing battle with the huge-framed fish, which he is sure will be even bigger in the winter months.

The stunning barbel fell to a Nutrabaits River Plus boilie fished on a size 8 Banktackle hook over a bed of hemp and maize.

Scott dethick – 15lb 15oz

Scott Dethick’s only bite of the session accounted for this superb 15lb 15oz barbel. 

It was a new personal best for the 26-year-old, who targeted the far bank on his local stretch of the River Trent with lead and boilie tactics. 

Scott’s successful rig incorporated a 6oz lead and 2ft of braided line to a 15mm Krill boilie mounted on a size 6 E-S-P hook.