The River Rother in South Yorkshire isn’t one of Britain’s most famous barbel venues, but this season, one angler has enjoyed exceptional sport on the waterway. Steve May, who lives 10 minutes from the intimate venue, smashed the river record with a 14lb 8oz fish, which he backed up with another of 13lb 10oz.
Not only are these exceptional specimens for the venue, but for the county in general, in which a double-figure barbel remains the benchmark for a specimen. Steve fishes short sessions, visiting the low-stock venue for around four hours at a time, moving between swims and spending no more than 45 minutes in one spot. His successful hookbait has been a Vortex baits cocoon, fished alongside a PVA mesh bag of pellets. This is presented below a simple running rig on an 18-inch fluorocarbon hooklink and a size 10 hook.
Well done Steve!