The early morning frost had been sent into retreat by a blanket of low cloud pushing across the land in a southerly direction and duly lifting the temperature by a couple of degrees. I had witnessed the subtle change first hand sitting patiently by the lake with 3 rods cast… Read more
Category: Barbel
Robert Bown 18lb 9oz barbel

When it comes to barbel an 18lb fish is the holy grail, so you can imagine Robert Bown’s reaction when he landed this immense 18lb 9oz fish. After making the effort to fish a spot on the Trent further than his usual haunt, Robert was rewarded with the fish of… Read more
James Ufton 18lb 10oz barbel

“IT was like a breeze block across the back and had pectoral fins as big as my hands!” – so said James Ufton who’s just landed the largest River Trent barbel of the season at 18lb 10oz. Like most anglers the Staffordshire-based barbel expert had his wife to thank for… Read more
Adrian Garside 16lb 10oz barbel

BARBEL fanatic Adrian Garside told Angling Times the capture of a new 16lb 10oz personal best was the greatest belated Christmas present he could’ve asked for. The 50-year-old endured a bite-less night of fishing on his club’s stretch of the Middle Trent but at 8am his alarm finally sprang into… Read more
Colin Smithson 21lb 2oz barbel (new British Record)

Colin Smithson (60) banked it at 21lb 2oz from a Sussex river (we know which one, and which stretch, but have promised not to reveal as it was conditional on us getting to speak to the captor – under club orders) Colin Smithson (60) banked it at 21lb 2oz from… Read more
Justin Stoddart’s 16lb 10oz barbel

Fishing through intense floodwater conditions proved to be a smart move for Justin Stoddart when he went on to bank a sturgeon and this sublime 16lb 10oz barbel. Targeting an area of slack water on the Tidal Trent, the Retford-based angler fished big cage feeders loaded with scolded pellets and… Read more