The Milton Keynes rod was on the river as it dropped after recent floods, with it still carrying extra water and colour. He targeted a swim you wouldn’t immediately run to, with a few trailing branches and a minor crease in the flow, but it’s an area that fish have been held up in this winter.Fishing a 10mm Source boilie alongside a small PVA bag of crushed offerings, he had a tentative bite and picked up the rod. Initially, it felt as though he’d hooked the riverbed, until the riverbed slowly started moving upstream! James managed to pull the fish to the surface without much drama and slipped the net beneath it. The barbel is James’ third over 16lb this season, and his second biggest.

Well done James!