Bruce Carley couldn't have asked for a much better birthday present than this impressive 18lb barbel, which he landed from a stretch of the River Thames near Abingdon.
On a family boating holiday, Bruce cast out a boilie over a bed of pellets in the early evening and didn't have to wait long for a bite.
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"I soon had one on and I knew instantly it was a very big fish as it took off upriver," he told us.
After giving the typically awesome fight big barbel are famed for, Bruce eventually landed the huge specimen.
"It’s the largest barbel I’ve ever caught and a fish I’ve been after for many years," he said.
"It made my birthday, and catching it with my family around me was the cherry on top.”
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