A return to his old stomping grounds on the River Lea at King’s Weir paid off in style for Mark Hewett, when he caught this 19lb 9oz barbel towards the end of the season.
It fell to a bunch of maggots fished on a size 10 hook alongside an in-line feeder, which he cast over a bed of hemp. The bite came at around 11pm, his rod ripping into life.A savage battle followed, with the fish bolting downstream towards some snags, but Mark managed to put the breaks on the fish. It then powered across river to far bank snags, but Mark managed to safely steer it away and land the fish, despite admitting he was shaking like a leaf during the fight! The barbel is his new PB and a highlight of the 20 years he’s fished the Lea.
Well done Mark!