The River Thames barbel have proved a tricky adversary for Duncan Hayward so far this season, as he’d endured a dozen blanks before finally landing this 16lb 9oz fish. He’s been fishing a baited area but had nothing to show for his efforts before his clutch ripped off and his… Read more

If there had to pick a stand-out river this season for big barbel it’d have to be the Lea, with the stretch at King’s weir producing some huge fish. With one of the most recent being this 17lb 9oz specimen, landed by Mark Cotterell. He’s a member at the fishery… Read more

The mighty flatbed method feeder has accounted for heaps of fish over the years, and whilst its more commonly found on stillwaters, Jack Jacura has demonstrated that it works just as well on a river whilst hunting down barbel as he banked this lovely 17lb 12oz specimen. Jack has been… Read more

Lewis Mahoney has been putting the short windows of angling opportunity at his disposal to the best effect on the River Lea, with this 16lb specimen coming just a few weeks after he landed another cracker weighing 15lb 11oz. Both fish were taken on pellet hookbaits, loose feeding a small… Read more

Barbel don’t come much better looking than this long and lean specimen from the River Derwent, landed by local angler Koi Croydon. At 17lb 12oz, it’s the biggest ever reported from the venue, beating the current 17lb 4oz record. Koi, who lives locally, religiously checks the river levels and, noticing… Read more

Over the past few weeks, the River Lea has been in superb big barbel form, with Darren Poole being on of latest to get in amongst the fish with this lovely 17lb 1oz specimen. He was fishing the famous Kings Weir stretch and has already landed numerous other good barbel… Read more