“Extracting fish of this calibre from tight, snaggy swims on small, overgrown rivers, brings a level of exhilaration that’s hard to match”
Braving the extreme weather resulted in this staggering 19lb 7oz River Lea record barbel that wrenched James Champkin’s rod round just two-minutes after casting out.
The Hertfordshire specimen hunter has enjoyed a fantastic season with big fish, landing a 4lb 5oz rudd back in spring, but this barbel unsurprisingly represents one of his greatest angling achievements. On this session, the James found the Lea in perfect conditions for barbel. Extreme weather resulted in high in a high river the colour of tea, and with air temperatures of 15 degrees, things looked promising.
With the Lea in such a state, James changed from his usual boilie hookbaits to big chunks of garlic meat fished on size 6 hooks and 12-inch coated braid hooklinks. He decided to rove the stretch, using a 3oz running lead to hold bottom in the strong flow. The first swim of the day produced nothing, but in the second spot – a classic foodwater barbel swim with a huge crease and partially submerged bushes – James’ 2.25lb test curve rod hammered round.
The fight wasn’t dramatic, with an extremely heavy fish holding bottom. After landing and weighing the barbel, an ecstatic James told us: “For me, this capture represents the pinnacle of barbel fishing in England. We’re living in a golden age of big barbel fishing. The specialist angler has the choice of numerous venues to target. But extracting fish of this calibre from tight, snaggy swims on small, overgrown rivers, brings a level of exhilaration that’s hard to match.”
Well done James!