Tonight the swim I had intended to fish where I had lost one only a week ago was taken but thankfully another spot I knew to hold a good few fish was available and considering that this time last year the banks of this same stretch were crowded I counted myself lucky.
I fished close to a feature upstream with a running ledger rig. My first cast was wiped out after about 20 minutes by passing debris. It was nearly dark and I knew that the next cast had to be spot on or I may as well go home. It landed very close indeed to the feature- a perfect cast perhaps but who could be sure? After sitting there for another 2 hours without so much as a twitch I began to wonder if I was snagged...
... and then BANG went the rod tip! It was absolutely text book. Having the current on my side was a godsend as this fish had a lot of fight in it!
So here it is. 9lb 11oz: not a personal best - my first barbel on this stretch was 13lb 4oz and I've yet to beat that but this is a great moment and I am over the moon!
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| 9lb 11oz barbel on the last day of the season! |
What a stunner!! you lucky man :) i have not had the pleasure of catching a barbel yet but i intend to this year.Well Done!
ReplyDeleteThanks William! Good luck catching a barbel next season. Which river will you be fishing?
Deletecracking barbel mate, I hope to get on the Wye next season to try and beat my pb of 6lb 11oz
ReplyDeleteCheers Jamie. I remember fishing the Wye before I knew anything about barbel fishing, spooked all the barbel royally and ended up with eel after eel! It's a beautiful river with large heads of barbel. I'd love to go back there. Good luck this coming season!
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