Fishing one of the day ticket pegs at Kings Weir, Mark introduced two pints of hemp and half a pint of maggots with the bait dropper and fished a 2oz maggot feeder over the top. Below this sat a short fluorocarbon hooklink and size 10 hook, on which he fished a mag aligner rig with four real grubs on the hook. Recasting every 30 minutes, Mark had a violent bang on the tip on the fourth chuck of his session, followed by a few more gentle bounces. Winding into the fish, the fight was unspectacular yet edgy, as Mark had caught a glimpse of a huge, deep-bodied barbel early on. At 19lb 10oz and in immaculate condition, it’s a fish that Mark was truly delighted with.

Well done Mark!