More often than not, the River Thames throws up a few late season big barbel, and this year one fell to the rod of Dean Renouf. Fishing the middle Thames, Dean had been targeting a big barbel for the past four seasons and succeeded in his quest with this 18lb 6oz fish.

“My dad’s biggest barbel weighed 16lb 9oz, and I’ve spent years trying to beat it” he told us. “It was a stunning fish that fought like an express train! I never expected to catch one this big.”