A HUGE 19lb 3oz barbel was landed from the Hampshire Avon this past week, cementing the river’s status as Britain’s most in-form venue for the species.
It was banked by Ringwood angler Gavin Barrett, who has enjoyed a phenomenal season on the southern waterway, during which he’s banked other barbel of 17lb 6oz and 16lb 9oz, as well as an 8lb chub.
The 19-pounder is a known fish that set the Avon record at 19lb 11oz when it was landed by Pete Reading in 2019. It’s known to gain a remarkable amount of weight over the winter months and, as Gavin revealed, its movements over recent seasons pay testament to just how far barbel can travel up and down a river.
“In September, the same fish was caught at 16lb 10oz,” said Gavin.
“It follows the same pattern every year, really packing on the weight over winter before slimming right back down in summer.
“It used to live in a stretch much further downstream, when it was about 14lb. It then went missing, turning up six miles upstream, having negotiated two weirs!” he added.
Gavin caught his prize using a homemade boilie wrapped in matching paste, and says landing it is the ‘pinnacle’ of his season.
“It’s a fish that hasn’t been far from my thoughts over the last couple of winters, and the fact they can migrate such distances adds to the intrigue of targeting the species,” he told us.
