There are still many anglers who have never caught a double figure barbel and despite the pictures you see in the media, fish like this are still rare and incredible to catch. For most seasoned barbel anglers, one double figure fish in a session is deemed a success, so you can imagine the utter shock that Craig Lander was in when he returned home from a truly stunning session.
Targeting the barbel on the famous River Trent, he was into fish from the first cast, and over the course of the day went on to catch four double figure barbel, with a cracking 17lb 10oz fish topping the haul.
"The trip wasn’t really planned, as I had a doctor’s appointment that day. But after only getting three hours of sleep, I was wide awake, so I decided to get down on the bank to sneak in some fishing beforehand," Craig explained.
"Usinga simple hair rig on a running setup, it didn’t take long at all before the rod was away, and after a cracking scrap, I had my first barbel of the session in the net. A good fish too, at 15lb 4oz," he added.
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After fishing for an hour or so, Craig packed up and headed to his appointment. While there, all he could think about was the barbel down the river, as after the earlier success, he had a sense they were in a feeding mood. Arriving back on the bank, he was thrilled to see the swim empty and immediately jumped back in, before getting the rods back out.
"I saw the rod twitch before the most violent take occurred, which saw my rod slam round to the right before the butt began lifting off the floor," he recalled.
"During the fight, I was at the mercy of this fish from the off, and at points, I was just towed around like a rag doll. Heart-in-mouth stuff, leaving me shaking uncontrollably with adrenaline," he said.
"As soon as she hit the back of the net, I let her rest while I tried to calm myself down. In fact, I just had to reel in the other rod and take it all in. What a fantastic creature. When they get 16lb+, they are just something else, never mind 17lb 10oz."
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"After releasing the fish, the rods weren’t back out long before I had another big fish on the scales, this time a superb 16lb 10oz Trent barbel."
The action was so good that Craig began to realise he hadn't taken enough bait and essentials, which were quickly running out. Thankfully, his son Leo managed to get over and replenish the bait, while bringing some much-needed food too. Just as Leo thought about leaving, he hooked the next fish, reeling in one around 10lb before heading home, adding to the already impressive tally.
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"I was made up for Leo to get one as it just made a great session even more memorable. For the next couple of hours, the activity in the swim died, and I had to wait a good few hours for the final fish, another cracker at 13lb 4oz."
"All the fish were taken on my favourite Vortex Baits Tigernut, Hemp & Cinnamon/Banana, Pineapple & Turmeric Cocoons, with matching paste wrap, PVA bag groundbait mix, and a few small pellets, firing freebies over the top."
"I won’t leave home without this bait. It’s done me proud on so many occasions, I just love the stuff and the barbel do too. Paired with a size 8 beaked point Bank Tackle hook, I used a 20lb N-Trap soft hooklink to contend with snags."
"All in one day — unreal! I don’t think I’ll ever top this day session: banking a 13lb 4oz, 15lb 4oz, 16lb 10oz, and 17lb 10oz barbel. It won’t stop me trying, though, being such a keen barbel angler. It’s taken many years to get that 17lb barbel... now that’s another achievement ticked off the list."
