17lb 6oz Barbel tops busy night fishing trip on the Warwickshire Avon

17lb 6oz Barbel tops busy night fishing trip on the Warwickshire Avon

by Freddie Sandford |
Published on

On a trip to the Warwickshire Avon, Gloucestershire angler James Benfield landed this 17lb 6oz barbel alongside two other double-figure specimens.

Usually, James fishes the lower Severn – the venue where he caught his 21lb 5oz British Record zander back in 2007 – but this time he fancied a change and spent a night fishing the Avon.

With the river running 18ins up and hammering through, James used 5oz leads to hold bottom, with 10mm pellets as hookbaits.

Over the course of the night he had seven bites, losing three fish, but the one he really wanted was safely landed after having given him a savage take in the early hours.

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James Benfield and his 17lb-plus Warwickshire Avon barbel.

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