Many anglers go a lifetime without catching a 17lb barbel, but 15-year-old Mason East has just smashed the landmark with this 17lb 9oz specimen.
He was fishing the tidal Trent with his dad, Lee, over a weekend-long session.
With big tides and extra water, he was hopeful of beating his 13lb 10oz PB and fished a 14mm boilie alongside a PVA mesh bag of matching baits. A 5oz lead was required to hold bottom in the strong flow, but, recasting every 30 minutes, his efforts soon paid off, with a number of fish to 12lb 13oz landed on his first night.
With big tides and extra water, he was hopeful of beating his 13lb 10oz PB and fished a 14mm boilie alongside a PVA mesh bag of matching baits. A 5oz lead was required to hold bottom in the strong flow, but, recasting every 30 minutes, his efforts soon paid off, with a number of fish to 12lb 13oz landed on his first night.
The following morning, his swim died, but Mason stuck to his plan of regular casting, and at 6am on Sunday morning his bite alarm went into meltdown. He knew he’d hooked something special, with the fish holding deep for 10 minutes before finally coming to the net. The seventeen-pounder smashes his PB and sets a high bar for the rest of his angling life.
Well done Mason!