In the final weeks of the river season, it's entirely possible that there will be barbel, chub and perch of British Record proportions swimming in the Thames' captivating waters - just one of the reasons that it's been crowned 2023's River of the Year!
Each season we see increasingly large fish reported from the venue, and things were no different this time around.
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Back in March we were blown away by one of the greatest chub in recent memory, when friends Omar Sriti and Sam Wakefield shared a pair of chub tipping the scales to 8lb 3oz and 8lb 5oz.
Bumper catches continued when the new season got underway, with a procession of 7lb chub reported, along with numerous big barbel. We even had a spell of large tench hitting the news desk, including fish of 10lb 12oz and 9lb 14oz!
As temperatures cooled, two separate perch of 5lb 11oz were caught in the space of just a few weeks. These could well be pushing the British Record come the end of the season!
Match anglers got in on the action, too, one of the highlights being the Drennan Thames Festival. Steve Harwood weighed in 96lb of bream on day one, while Mark Kimber won it overall with three double- figure weights of silvers over the festival’s three days.
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In recent weeks the river has continued to produce, with Simon Daley’s 18lb 10oz barbel the pick of the catches.
What’s more, pleasure anglers have enjoyed great sport with quality roach and bream, and the river’s carp continue to be a popular target, but one of the most charming things about this iconic waterway is the mystery that surrounds it.
Rumour has it that multiple chub over 9lb have already been landed this season, not to mention barbel over the British Record that have been released, unreported. We’ve even heard of some anglers targeting catfish by design, following stories of carpers who’ve had hour-long battles with unseen monsters!
If there’s one river to keep an eye on, or to head to if you’ve got a specimen in your sights, it has to be the Thames!
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HIGHLY COMMENDED - RIVER LEA
We've been inundated with catch reports of huge barbel from the Lea since the start
of the season, with the iconic King’s Weir Fishery going through a blistering run of form. No end of barbel to over 18lb have been reported in what’s been a real purple patch for this timeless river.
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