A claim has been made for the River Wye barbel record following the capture of a known monster weighing 14lb 12oz.

Eclipsing the previous record by just three ounces, the large berttie was caught by Wye regular Kevin Clark, who weighed the fish accompanied by two witnesses.

The fish in question is one that Kevin has caught before and is rumoured to have been landed at a larger weight without a claim for the record.

Cwmbram based rod, Kevin, has been fishing the Wye for over 20 years and told Angling Times: “It put up an epic battle and I really struggled to get its head up – even on a 2lb test curve rod.

“Once it was in the net, I noticed it straight away, but needed to sit down for five minutes to get my head round it when the scales revealed the weight – Wye history in my hands!”

The potential new river record was caught on a halibut pellet alongside a 3oz feeder full of dampened pellets. This tactic has seen Kevin take 42 barbel in four sessions on one of the more challenging stretches of the popular barbel river.