After landing an 18lb 1oz Hampshire Avon barbel earlier this autumn, Nigel Kennard turned his attention to the Dorset Stour, where a sixteen-pounder was his aim. He’s just smashed that target, not once, but twice, in a single session!
Fishing a stretch a short distance from his house, where he’s been regularly walking and baiting, Nigel landed fish of 16lb 7oz and 16lb 8oz caught just a few hours apart. Up to that point, the fishing had been challenging on the stretch, with him landing only one small barbel and a number of chub. But when rainfall brought the river up by four feet, Nigel’s chances of a better fish increased. A 6oz lead was required to hold bottom in the flow, and after two hours, his 14mm boilie hookbait was taken.The fish plodded around in front of him before coming to the net, at which point he instantly recognised it as one of the fish he wanted to catch. At 16lb 7oz, it was mission complete, and Nigel contemplated going home. However, he stayed on and, after three frustrating hours of being wiped out by snags, he hooked another fish that powered off into midriver. After an epic battle he netted a fish an ounce heavier than the first, completing his biggest-ever brace of barbel.
Well done Nigel!