Using his watercraft skills, Jon walked the stretch and fed a few pellets in swims he thought would hold fish and left them to stew for an hour whilst he got his kit ready and selected a swim filled with cover, in which he hoped barbel would be sheltering from the bright sun.

After two hours, Jon decided to tie a few rigs to keep himself occupied when, out of nowhere, his rod slammed over. Staying deep and stripping line, the fish battled for 15 minutes, going in and out of the snags, before Jon slipped the net under it. Weighing 17lb 8oz, he describes it as ‘the fish of a lifetime’, and one he won’t be bettering any time soon.