Enormous Trent barbel leaves captor ‘sweating buckets’

NOTTINGHAM angler Andy Henry thought he’d hooked a big river carp before this immense barbel, weighing 18lb 7oz, surfaced.

Fishing at Gunthorpe Lock on the River Trent, Andy cast his rig – carrying that classic barbel bait, Spam – into the weir, and before he’d even had chance to put the bail-arm on his reel over, the rod doubled over and he was in.

The fish put up a great fight in the strong flow, leaving its captor ‘sweating buckets’ following a 10-minute scrap. After landing and weighing the beast, Andy said he was left feeling honoured to have caught what he described as the ‘fish of his lifetime’.