A 12-YEAR wait for a new PB barbel ended in fine style for Bedford angler Martin Walker when he landed this impressive 17lb 13oz fish from the middle reaches of the River Trent.
His original best, a 14lb 12oz fish, was caught from the River Ivel at Biggleswade, Beds – a far more intimate venue than the mighty Trent.
But, after three sessions learning the new, beefed-up methods employed on this large and powerful river, Martin banked a new personal best of 14lb 14oz.
He was happy enough with that, but the following morning he smashed his PB yet again with the immense 17-pounder.
Martin says the fish felt heavy from the off, and that he feels ‘privileged to have caught it’. It fell to a Cocoon boilie hookbait fished on a 4ft hooklink below a feeder crammed with boilies.
