Barbel best is a 'dream come true' - Aaron Bentley
“Recent downpours had caused the Thames to flood, but with rising air temperatures forecast, conditions were perfect for a big barbel so I headed to a local weir pool.
“The river was chugging through, so I clipped on my heaviest 6oz feeder before attaching a homemade boilie to the hair and casting the rig out.
“After two hours I’d only had a chub knock, so I wound in to re-bait and make my third cast. I was waiting for the feeder to settle when my rod-tip walloped over as something huge tore off with my bait!
“Over the next 20 minutes I enjoyed the hardest fight I’ve ever had, and I was convinced it was a 40lb carp. Eventually it tired, and I was able to slip my net under a gorgeous barbel.
“For the last 20 years I’ve fished for nothing but barbel. My PB has been 10lb for a decade, so to catch one of this size was a dream come true.”
Aaron Bentley – 14lb 2oz barbel
Five-month break from fishing ended with huge Thames barbel
JAMES Hook couldn’t believe his luck when his first session following a five-month break from fishing produced this 16lb 13oz barbel.
After spending every day for the previous two weeks using a bait dropper to prebait his local stretch of the River Thames with boilies and pellets, the 33-year-old returned for an overnight session.
The fine fish was a new PB for James and fell to double 16mm 3FT SG1 boilies fished upstream of his swim.
(This catch was made before latest lockdown)
James Hook and his 16lb 13oz Thames barbel
Winter campaign off to a flyer with 7lber - Adrian Eaves
“It was my first chub session on the River Thames this winter and the conditions were excellent. The river was running low and clear after the recent high levels and most of the autumn leaves littering the bottom had been washed away.
“After walking the section and feeding a few promising-looking swims with mashed bread, I headed back to the first and flicked out a lump of flake on a running lead set-up.
“No bites materialised in that swim but soon after dropping my rig into the second I had a very positive bite.
“Fortunately, it was a pretty uneventful fight in the clear water, with no snags to cause me any problems.
“It was real chunk of a chub and I was super delighted to get a 7lb-plus fish under my belt this early in the winter campaign.”
(This catch was reported before the third England lockdown)
Adrian Eaves and his 7lb 3oz Thames chub
15lb-plus barbel on first Thames session - Paul Scowen
“I was given the heads-up about a stretch of the middle Thames that contains some big barbel. Having not fished it before, I ended up walking the banks four times to get an idea of where to target.
“With a couple of likely swims selected, I arrived after work for my first session. The river was pushing through quite hard so I stuck to large PVA bags and double 16mm boilies, with no loosefeed. Within minutes I found myself attached to a bream of around 7lb-8lb.
“About an hour later the same thing happened, but this fish held deep as it swam upstream past my feet, feeling heavy and slow. Assuming it was just another bream, I gave it no quarter and heaved it toward the waiting net, which is where I saw it was a big barbel!
“Less than two hours in and I already had a 15-pounder in the net!”
Paul Scowen’s 15lb 2oz middle Thames barbel
High and coloured Thames throws up a monster barbel
After blanking on a previous trip, Doug Penny exacted revenge on his return to a stretch of the Thames by banking this 17lb 1oz barbel.
The 61-year-old, from Reading, hit the jackpot after targeting a stretch that was running high and coloured following rain.
“I had the bite a couple of hours after dark and I knew it was a special fish from the off,” he said.
“It’s only my second year on the river and I’ve now had a Thames PB just 12oz short of my all-time best, which came from the River Loddon 12 years ago.”
Doug’s huge fish fell to a paste-wrapped boilie fished alongside freebies and pellets.
Doug Penny and his 17lb 1oz Thames barbel
Angler beats Thames boat traffic for a huge barbel
RIVER traffic didn’t stop Kelvin Sherman landing this 15lb 13oz barbel from the Thames in Oxfordshire. He baited two swims while he waited for the canoes and boats to drift off.
“I fed 8mm pellets and a mix of whole and chopped 18mm boilies,” he says.
“As dusk descended, my rod positioned in mid-river hooped over. I thought it was a river carp. Eventually, though, she was in the net and it’s a new Thames PB for me.”
Boilies were the winning bait for Kelvin, who fished these alongside a PVA mesh bag of broken boilies.
Kelvin Sherman and his 15lb 13oz Thames barbel
Perseverance pays off for Thames giant
IAN WYNTER’S quest for a giant summer barbel finally came to fruition during his latest trip, with the capture of this 17lb giant.
The London angler had been fishing his local stretch of the Thames every week since June 16 without a lot to show for his efforts.
But a free-running boilie rig cast towards showing fish halfway through an evening session changed all that.
Ian Wynter and his 17lb Thames barbel
First trip of the season results in 200lb-plus bream catch
“I spent the morning of June 16 on the lower River Thames, but with it running low and clear with next to no flow I was expecting it to fish poorly. That said, if you’re going to catch a big weight in bad conditions, then the very first night of the season is probably your best bet!
“As the river was so lifeless, I decided to feed with a Spomb and introduced a few kilos of mixed pellets and groundbait just before dark.
“I started fishing at midnight, and although it took an hour to get my first bream, once I’d landed it I managed a bite most casts and finished the session at 5am with around 45 bream averaging 5lb apiece for a total weight of well over 200lb.
“It was a great first trip, but as soon as the sunshine began to peep through the trees, the bites slowed right down.”
Tony Curd with his 200lb-plus haul of bream
Monster Thames barbel spins scales to over 20lb
The second biggest barbel of the season has been landed from a weirpool on the River Thames - weighing in at a colossal 20lb 7oz.
Berkshire based angler, Steven Birt (49), was the captor of the recent giant - a fish that shattered his personal best of 16lb 12oz.
He told Angling Times the full story, he said:
“I have been fishing this area with luncheon meat hookbaits for around 4 weeks with not much to show for my efforts, but on this session, I switched to fishing glugged 18mm boilies topped with a 12mm pop-up.
“Attached to the hookbait was a PVA bag of mixed pellets and I used a standard running lead set-up and fished the same rig on two rods.
“I’m a bailiff on the stretch, so I know the swims quite well. Knew there was a good chance of catching a barbel in this slack next to a weirpool, and with the river up slightly, there was an even greater chance.
“The rods remained motionless for a couple of hours, as I had started fishing just before it got dark.
“I needed ‘to spend a penny’ and as I was peeing I heard a splashing noise. Turned my back to see my tri-pod had fallen over and my rods submerged in the near bank flood water.
“I stopped peeing and ran over to the tri-pod and picked it up, but it was clear I had a take on my left-hand rod.
“Fished quite a tight clutch, so I was lucky my rod wasn’t taken into the river. I used snag ears with my alarms so that definitely helped me.
“I couldn’t believe I had this bite when my back was turned! Convinced the barbel are watching you!
“It was strange because I thought I was snagged. There was a big bend in my rod but not much movement – thought I was attached to the bottom… then the bottom started moving.
“It was just a proper heavy lump and a slow sensation during the fight. I’ve caught 13lbers that have put up better fights – that’s for sure, so this barbel really got the adrenaline going as I knew it was going to be a proper monster.
“When you’re fishing the Thames there’s always the chance of potential British record.
“The fight lasted around 5-10 minutes but it felt like a lifetime. I had snags to my left which the barbel normally go for but I managed to keep this barbel under control and just like that, it was in the net.
“The first thing I noticed was the depth of it – it was like a pig.
“I weighed it and just watched the needle on the scales go past the 16lb, 17lb, 18lb, 19lb and 20lb marks –I just stood there shaking.
“Another angler in the next peg came round to verify the weight on his scales too.
“I’d achieved my angling dream – when you think of dreams in fishing this is the ultimate achievement for a barbel angler.
“It’s one of the biggest barbel in the country and potentially could be the new record one day.
“I might have to take up golf now, I just don’t know how I’ll ever beat this fish!
“I do know of three 20 pounders that live in this stretch of the Thames, so I guess I do have something else to chase.
“For me the Thames will produce the next record. The Trent is giving the Thames a good run for its money but it doesn’t quite have those consistent numbers of 20 pounders yet.”
Thames gets in on the barbel boom
The Trent may have been taking the headlines for big barbel catches recently, but anglers down South on the Thames have been enjoying fantastic specimen sport too.
The biggest fish from the river in recent weeks fell to Roman Vann, who caught a 17lb 12oz barbel just as the river was fining down after flooding.
“At first I was convinced that I was attached to a carp, the fight was that hard!” Roman said.
“I had lost my headtorch in the melee and was on the phone to my mate saying that the barbel wasn’t that large, but when I eventually turned the light on and looked into the net, I realised just how big it was. I said to him: ‘It’s huge - it’s like a horse!’” added Roman.
The fine specimen fell to boilies fished over a bed of hemp not far from the bank.
Another angler who struck gold was David Ranger, who ventured out for the first time since the sad passing of a lifelong fishing partner in August.
He christened his return to the river with the capture of this immaculate 15lb 15oz barbel.
Arriving at a stretch of the River Thames in Berkshire during a heavy downpour, David wasn’t expecting too much – but he hooked his first fish within a few hours, followed by the big girl the next morning.
“It’s not my biggest barbel, but it still gave me that buzz after a long time away from fishing,” he said.
“I have to thank my friend for looking down on me.”
David’s barbel fell to a new rig he was trying which incorporated a 15mm boilie and a 12mm pop-up on a hair rig, with a PVA bag of boilie chops attached on the cast.
No need to cast for floodwater barbel
HAMPSHIRE-based specimen hunter Roman Vann continued his fine run of large fish this week with the capture of this colossal 15lb 8oz Thames barbel.
Pinning his hopes on a rapidly rising river, Roman struck into the powerful fish just inches from the bank in 8ft of water.
He told Angling Times:
“The river rose about 10 inches whilst I was there forcing me to fish as close to the bank as possible.
“It turned out to be a right result however, culminating in a new Thames PB.”
Roman’s successful rig included a 5oz lead to hold his snowman hookbait in the strong current.