The fish, which is one of the largest ever landed on British shores and the latest of a string of huge barbel reported over recent years, fell to a lump of luncheon meat cast into a snaggy swim. Rob, who switches from targeting carp to river species in the winter, had planned to go fishing with his dad, however when one of their sessions was cancelled, he ventured out alone.

He told us “I had all the kit packed so decided to make the most of it, but little did I know that I’d catch one of the biggest barbel in the country! I arrived at 7am, an hour before first light, and began roving, legering large lumps of luncheon meat – a favourite tactic of mine for barbel. With the banks quiet, Rob was able to make his way upstream, fishing for around 40 minutes in each swim. I don’t feed on these sessions, instead just making a few casts in each swim before moving on.

At 11am I reached my fifth spot of the day – a seriously snaggy area where large broken trees lay in the river. I was on the phone to my mate saying that just getting a bite would be amazing when the rod hooped over. After a hairy fight, I netted a fish that looked enormous in the net”. Weighing the specimen, Rob was left in disbelief as the needle flew past 20lb and settled at a staggering 21lb 2oz.

“Red letter days like this don’t come around often, and landing the fish from the Old River Lea, where I caught my first barbel when I was 13, was fitting. 24 years later and the buzz hasn’t changed.”

Well done Rob!