- Home|
- News|
- News Stories
Cheesepaste lands 14lb River Don barbel and 6lb River Dearne chub
Angler Paul Bailey proves that cheesepaste isn't just a deadly chub bait, banking a stunning 14lb 4oz River Don barbel and a special 6lb 1oz River Dearne chub during a memorable spell of river fishing in South Yorkshire.
© Angling Times
by Angling Times |
Published on13th November 2026 at 12.00pm
Follow Angling Times on Google
Paul Bailey – 14lb 4oz barbel + 6lb 1oz chub
“Cheesepaste is one of the most popular chub baits, but why it’s not more widely used for barbel baffles me.
“I’ve always rated it as a great bait for both species, and recently I caught two superb fish with it in a memorable spell of fishing.
“Things began on the Dearne in South Yorkshire, a river I recently started fishing again after a few years away. I’ve managed the odd good fish on my visits, but during my latest session I managed a particularly special result.
“I was a few hours into my late evening session and had settled into my penultimate swim, where I swung my cheesepaste under some willows.
“Just a few moments passed before the isotope on my rod arched towards the willows and I leaned into what I immediately knew was a good fish.
“It plunged for some fallen branches, but not long afterwards I netted a deep-set fish that I knew was a special chub for the river.
“At 6lb 1oz, it is a fish I was absolutely delighted with.
“A few days later I visited the River Don, where I fished cheesepaste but with stepped-up tackle in search of barbel.
“I moulded a piece around a size 8 hook, cast out, and about 30 minutes later had a slamming take. Grabbing the rod, I felt the power of a fish that surged downstream at speed.
“Steadily, I reclaimed line and eventually netted the barbel. On the mat, the fish glimmered like a ghost in the moonlight. It tipped my scales to 14lb 4oz – one of the Don’s best. After releasing it, I packed up and headed home.
“Cheesepaste produced on both occasions, fishing it below a simple running bomb.
“I generally rove when fishing for both species, preferring to find the fish rather than wait for them to come to me.
“If they are in the swim and feeding, I’ll soon know about it.”
A six-pounder from the Dearne is a special fish © Angling Times
Paul’s top 5 tips
Trust in paste – I use a simple paste mix: liquidised bread and a strong mature cheese, cheddar or a blue. In winter, I add a little butter to keep it from hardening.
Don’t always feed – For chub, I don’t feed – if they’re in the mood, one bait is enough. I’ll generally do the same for barbel, but occasionally introduce a few samples.
Use varied set-ups – For chub, I generally use a 1.25lb TC quivertip rod, 8lb mainline and 6lb hooklink. For barbel, I step up to a 1.75lb TC rod, 12lb mainline and a 10lb hooklink. These can vary depending on the conditions.
Go for a running rig – I’ve tried a semi-fixed rig for barbel, but with paste moulded around a hook, I prefer a running rig. I feel this shows the more subtle indications while fishing.
Adapt to the weather – While cheesepaste is a brilliant bait, it’s not the best option in summer, when warmer water and small fish make it a pain to keep on the hook.
Angling Times Drennan Cup catches of the week 2026 - 2027 season
Livebait tempts a giant Lea perch
Ross Deadman – 5lb perch
© Angling Times
Ross Deadman has put plenty of effort in on the River Lea over the last few seasons, with big perch his target, and he has just been rewarded with this specimen of 5lb exactly.
After walking a few different stretches and trying different swims, he found a large shoal of silverfish and caught a few livebaits with a whip.
Although there was lots of river to go at, Ross knew that the perch wouldn’t be far from the baitfish as they shoaled up for winter. So, in the same area, he fished roach livebaits on both a float paternoster and a leger set-up, and it was the latter that accounted for the five-pounder.
Having grown up on the Lea catching perch, landing this fish – a new PB – was even more special for Ross.
Maggots account for Trent PB
Geoff Stead – 17lb 7oz barbel
© Angling Times
While high-protein baits such as boilies and pellets are favoured by many barbel anglers these days, Geoff Stead showed the power of good old maggots when he landed this 17lb 7oz cracker.
Fishing the River Trent, Geoff presented a big bunch of maggots on a size 10 barbless hook and a fluorocarbon hooklink, which he fished alongside a blockend feeder. He had caught numerous barbel throughout the session, including a few low doubles, before banking the 17-pounder just as his day drew to a close... and just as he was nearing the end of his six pints of maggots! It beats Geoff’s previous 14lb 6oz PB – caught more than 20 years ago!
How to enter the Drennan Cup
Running since 1985, the Drennan Cup is Britain’s No1 weekly catch competition which rewards anglers who target big coarse fish by design.
Catch a big coarse fish by design. Take a picture (no blurred or altered backgrounds please), and forward it to freddie.sandford@bauermedia.co.uk
Drennan picks its favourites. For your first award you win £80, plus a Drennan Weekly Winner’s cap and badge.
At the end of the season, readers pick their favourite catches, and the winning angler scoops a cool £2,000!
Just so you know, we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this website - read why you should trust us