Specimen fish fall in high water conditions

After water levels shot up in the recent wet spell, specimen anglers have been enjoying phenomenal sport as our rivers fined down to their normal state. 

Here are this week’s top catches…

CHRISTOPHER MENDELSOHN – 16lb BARBEL

Christopher Mendelsohn of bait company 3 Foot Twitch has been in unbelievable form on his local River Trent, and he added to his impressive catch list this week with a brace of barbel for 30lb.

The bigger of the pair was this immaculate 16-pounder, which fell in high water conditions from a slacker area of the river in between two stands of trees. 

He caught them both within two hours of starting, using his regular rig of a 5oz lead, 6ins Kryston hooklink and size 2 Partridge Curve hook. The effective bait was a 3 Foot Twitch D-Liver boilie over a bed of hemp, maize, chopped worms and SG1 boilies.

JOE ROYFFE – 4lb 11oz PERCH

Hertfordshire delivery driver Joe Royffe continued a fine season of hunting specimen fish with the capture of this monster 4lb 11oz perch.

Arriving at 6am on the River Lea, Joe latched into a fish of 4lb 1oz before it even got light, and the second giant came moments later.

Both fish fell to gudgeon livebaits presented on size 8 Kamasan B983 hooks on sunken paternoster rigs with 8lb Daiwa Sensor mainline.

JAMES CHAMPKIN – 15lb 9oz BARBEL

A rapidly rising southern river provided James Champkin with his new personal-best barbel of 15lb 9oz.

“It gave a great account of itself after a typically savage bite that wrenched the rod-tip round. After losing a very big fish from the same stretch a few days previously, I was massively relieved when this one was finally landed!” James said.

The fine whisker was caught on double 12mm Dynamite The Source boilie hookbaits fished over a bed of small pellets and hemp. At the rig end, James used a 15lb braided hooklink down to a size 8 hook and a 3oz gripper lead.