A good barbel session to most anglers would be catching one fish, a great session could mean three or four are caught, and a red-letter day might see 10 fish caught. You can therefore imagine the shock and elation felt by Nigel Pankhurst, when a trip to the River Trent almost caused his arm to drop off, as the non-stop action saw him bank 51 barbel for a total weight just shy of 250lb.
After fishing the previous week and catching a few barbel, the 66-year-old was keen to get back onto the river to try and replicate the session. After managing to get into the same swim, he deployed his favoured feeder setup into the river to see if the barbel were in a feeding mood, and before long, he was into his first of many fish.
THE BEST BARBEL RODS WILL HELP YOU LAND AS MANY BARBEL AS YOU CAN HOOK!
"I was full of expectation while making my way onto the river, the conditions were much better than the previous week and it just felt right. It is hard to explain sometimes, but as anglers we just get that feeling about what is going to unfold," Nigel told us.
"I cast my ever-faithful feeder running feeder setup into the deep channel about halfway across the river. It is an area I know the barbel favour when the water levels are a little lower, and before long I started to get a few indications on the rod tip," he added.
The first 45 minutes of the session saw little action from the barbel as the smaller fish that inhabit the river took a liking to the groundbait and pellet Nigel was introducing through his feeder. Regular casting ensured that there was enough bait on the bottom to hold the barbel when they arrived which is exactly what happened, as before long, Nigel had a thumping take with saw him connect with his first of many barbel.
SIT COMFORTABLY WITH ONE OF THE BEST FISHING CHAIRS...
"The rod suddenly arced over and the baitrunner was screaming off. As soon as I picked the rod up, I was met with the unmistakable power of a river Trent Barbel," he recalled.
"This was the first fish of what was to turn out to be an exceptional day, all caught on 8mm pellet and a mixture of 2mm 4mm and 6mm krill pellets blocked in the 60g feeder by some Krill Supercrush wetted groundbait."
"I ended the session with 51 Barbel to my name for 247lb 2oz, the biggest went 9lb 3oz, while there were no huge fish, it was great to see so many smaller barbel in the river."
DON'T GO BARBEL FISHING WITHOUT READING THESE HELPFUL TIPS.
Subscribe to Angling Times magazine today. Choose a Print+ Subscription and you'll get instant digital access and so much more. PLUS FREE UK delivery.