A rod wrenching bite resulted in Stuart biggs smashing his personal best when he landed this 17lb 12oz River Lea barbel.

He told us “I was fishing a flooded local stretch of the River Lea in hope of a big barbel and obliterated my previous pb of 14lb 4oz when I landed this lovely 17lb 12oz barbel.

It was the most savage bite I’ve ever had from a barbel, and I actually ended up knee deep in the river trying to control it! The fight was ridiculous, with the river in flood and a fish that knew where all the snags were. It took me three attempts to net it, but when it finally went in, I gave a big sigh of relief.”