The Great Ouse was once one of the country's best barbel fishing rivers, producing fish of record proportions, but in the last ten years or so, the river has fallen out of favour with anglers due to dwindling numbers of the species.
There are signs in recent years, however, that this iconic British river is making a bit of a recovery on the barbel front, as proven by Hugh Trayte's latest specimen catch.
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“The other night I caught a barbel weighing 15lb 1oz from the Great Ouse," he reported to our News Team.
"In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the river was the Mecca of barbel fishing, but over the last few decades, numbers of the species dropped massively.
“However, they’re making a bit of a comeback in places, although they’re not as prolific as they once were, which makes mine quite a special fish.
“I caught it on a running rig, with a big chunk of Spam as hookbait, which I ‘marinated’ in crushed garlic, paprika and oyster sauce!"
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