Having gone almost three months without wetting a line, Paddy Clampett banked a new personal best barbel of 16lb 8oz!

Arriving at his peg just after dusk, he selected an overgrown swim that hadn’t been fished since last season.

“Within a hour of feeding pellets and hemp, I had my first bite and lost a big fish in a snag. I decided to shorten my hooklength, to just over a foot and cast out again. I received a take nearly straight away. The fish managed to snag me twice, and after a 20-minute battle she slipped into my net. I was shaking!” Paddy explained.

Paddy’s rig consisted of an inline feeder set-up, using 10lb Supplex straight through to the hook.

This capture was awarded a weekly Drennan Cup in Angling Times on the 14th of October.