The venue has been in great form for big barbel of late, but Simon had endured five lean weeks before landing the fish. Deciding to target a new stretch, partly as he was running late from work and it gave him a shorter walk, conditions were perfect, with low pressure and a south westerly wind.

Fishing mid-river due to heavy weed, time passed quickly with just a few rattles on the tip. But as he started packing his brolly away, his rod wrapped round, and he was into a powerful fish. Initially, it buried itself under dense weed, but with steady pressure it came free. Simon says it was a ‘true Avon gem’ and is a new PB.

Well done Simon!
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