A specimen barbel is a fish many anglers aspire to catch, with a double-figure fish still considered a huge achievement by most. This year, however, the definition of a "huge" barbel has shifted, with an almost unbelievable number of enormous barbel being reported weekly, culminating in a fish topping the 20lb barrier.
These fish are not confined to a single river either, as captures seem to be spread across the country, and despite the despicable state of our rivers, with the pressures our fish face from pollution and predation, it raises the question: has there ever been a better year to catch a huge barbel?
While on holiday by the Warwickshire Avon, Lancashire angler Stephen Dewhurst tempted this 17lb 12oz barbel after three days of prebaiting.
On the first day of his trip, Stephen lost what he reckoned to be a double- figure barbel on float tactics. But with warmer weather rolling in, he knew he had a chance of tempting another one, so he introduced hemp, crushed boilies and maggots with a bait dropper on a crease formed by an overhanging tree.
When the time was right, he cast out a 15mm boilie, with the top shaved off to make it egg-shaped, and hooked a heavy fish that he battled to keep away from the main flow.
On landing the barbel, Stephen was blown away by its size – it’s a specimen he’ll find hard to repeat on the rivers of his home county!
YOU NEED TO USE ONE OF THE BEST BARBEL RODS IF YOU WANT TO LAND TRULY HUGE BARBEL.
After heavy rains caused the gravel pit where he was planning to have one last big-bream session of the year to break its banks, Adrian Eves headed instead to a swim on the Hampshire Avon that he fancied might produce the goods in the conditions.
Fishing an NX Baits Crab and Cray boilie alongside a small PVA bag of matching freebies, he soon landed a chub of 6lb 14oz. Three hours later a barbel of 14lb 7oz came to the net, setting a new Avon PB. But that was soon blown out of the water when he landed this stunning 17lb 1oz barbel.
Next day he fished the same spot again and was rewarded with another big barbel of 15lb 7oz. He landed
all his fish using a size 8 Fox Wide Gape hook, 15lb Camotex semi-stiff hooklink and a 4oz inline lead.
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Finding the River Thames pushing through hard, Neale Woodward targeted the crease between a near- bank slack and the main flow and landed this excellent 17lb 4oz barbel.
Using a 5oz lead to hold bottom and a short six-inch fluorocarbon hooklink, he tempted the fish on a fishmeal boilie presented over a scattering of matching feed.
The all-important bite came as darkness set in, when Neale’s screaming bite alarm signalled a powerful take. After tearing off into the flow, the fish then snagged him briefly in the margins. He remained patient, and soon had the hefty fish sitting safely in the folds of his net.
A LOT OF BARBEL ARE CAUGHT ON NIGHT SESSIONS, THE BEST FISHING BIVVIES WILL KEEP YOU COMFORTABLE.
On a recent session I landed my best ever barbel, weighing 17lb 8oz. It was caught from the River Lea at Kings Weir – a challenging stretch, but one that holds some of the biggest fish in the land.
“Arriving at around 3pm, and finding a swim I liked the look of, I introduced a few bait droppers of hemp and pellets. I fed a pint of hemp, and the pellets were a mixture of all those I had in my bag, including Robin Reds, halibuts, and some cheese and garlic ones."
“After depositing the feed, I wandered upstream and spent three hours trotting – having a lovely time and keeping busy while I left the barbel swim to simmer."
“In my opinion, the big fish in this stretch don’t sit in one spot they’re regularly on the move. But if you can encourage them to mooch around a bed of feed, they’ll hand around for a bit longer."
“After I’d had a bit of fun on the float, I returned to the barbel spot and topped up with a bit more feed before dropping my hookbait in – a Squid and Garlic Vortex Baits pellet. They really stink, but I’ve had good catches since I started using them. This was fished on a 12ins fluorocarbon hooklink and a strong size 10 hook."
“It wasn’t long after casting out that I had a typically savage barbel bite – the fish nearly pulled my rod in! A good scrap followed before I slipped the net under the new PB."
BARBEL FISHING CAN BE A WAITING GAME, SIT PATIENTLY ON ONE OF THE BEST FISHING CHAIRS.
