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“I Rang the Changes for a Brace of Big River Colne Barbel”
After finding the River Colne low, clear and weedy, Rui Pedro adapted his approach with different hookbaits and tactics to land impressive barbel of 13lb and 16lb 1oz in challenging conditions.
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by Angling Times |
Published on28th October 2026 at 6.00pm
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Rui Pedro – 16lb 1oz and 13lb barbel
“I arrived on the River Colne to find it running low, clear and weedy. Barbel were my target, and I started by walking the stretch, looking for areas to fish.
“I selected four swims and introduced one small feederful of groundbait, micro pellets, hemp and liquids in each.
“My plan was to let them rest for a while before working my way between them.
“My first casts were made at 7pm, and after a few hours without action I moved to the second swim. Using two rods – one with a 20mm boilie and the other with a 20mm pellet – things were quiet.
“I was tired, so I set up base camp in the second swim and settled in for the night.
“At 1.30am I was awakened by an 8lb 15oz bream, a fish I was happy to catch. But I wondered where the barbel may be.
“Next morning, I woke to bright conditions and decided to scale down to a smaller hookbait – two 8mm pellets being my choice.
Two small hair-rigged pellets produced one of Rui’s fish. © Angling Times
“Wandering to the third swim, I cast out and a few hours passed without action. I was thinking of a recast when, out of the blue, the rod hammered over, and I lifted into what I knew right away was a heavy fish. It turned out to be a barbel of 13lb exactly – a fish I was buzzing with in the tricky conditions.
“I fished on in the same swim for a few more hours without further action and decided to head back to base camp in swim two.
“After landing another bream, I switched to a 14mm pellet, which would last a little longer than the smaller 8mms.
“Not long after midnight, I received a one-toner and hooked a fish that made heavy and powerful runs. I could feel that it was in a different league to the earlier specimen, and I was shocked to net a stunning fish of 16lb 1oz.
“It’s my second-biggest UK barbel and a particularly special result from the tricky River Colne.”
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