James Upton’s 17lb 15oz Barbel

Arriving at the river for an evening session it took James only two casts before he hooked the giant fish,

Arriving at the river for an evening session it took James only two casts before he hooked the giant fish, which is believed to be one of the biggest ever caught from the Upper River.The 59-year old told Angling Times: “As soon as I hooked it, I knew it was a decent fish as it was solidly moving off. I could not believe it when the scales went round to over 17lb, I had to check them twice. There was such impressive depth to the fish.”James caught the Trent bab on a running feeder rig and a bait mix consisting of groundbait, pellets and fishmeal boilies.