It’s that man again with another whacker! Phil Smith continuing his enviable 2012 with a double figure Barbel from the 22nd different river of his distinguished career! 

Phil has recently switched his attention to Leicestershire’s River Soar – and after an unsuccessful trip a few days previously, arrived at around 6.30pm to find the river still coloured but the level having dropped still further – great Barbel conditions! Phil bait-dropped around 2 pints of Hemp, with a sprinkling of Dynamite Monster Crab boilies mixed in, electing to fish a straight lead on a running set-up for a change.

After catching a Carp of around 4lb, at around 10pm the Barbel came onto the feed, an ‘honesty’ fish of 9lb 15oz soon being followed by one of 6lb 7oz. A fish just one ounce short of 10lb is a fine Barbel by anyone’s standards – but when your target is an outright ‘double’ from a new river, it is a little unlucky! Phil had thought to fish until the 11:00pm struck on a nearby church clock, but with the success he decided to extend that by a further 30 minutes or so, despite more heavy rain – being rewarded for effort and refreshing integrity with around ten minutes to spare when the all important final bite occurred. The fish fought well before eventually coming to the net, and at 11lb-1oz he met the target with plenty of room to spare!

Phil often likes to use Drennan Continental Boilie hooks for his Barbel fishing (due to their extreme strength and reliability), in this case a size 8. Click here for more details on this classic pattern.

To follow Phil’s excellent fishing diary, click this link.