Tiddlers aren’t the only thing you can catch from small streams, as Neil Thomas proved when he banked this 14lb 6oz barbel!
The Warwickshire-based angler had stumbled across a few big fish in a private brook off the Avon, and baited the spot with pellets for several nights prior to first session.
This ended in disaster when he lost a big barbel, but he put the record straight the following evening.
“I was fishing close to a bush in 3ft of water, with two pellets wrapped in paste, and got the bite within five minutes of starting. I had tolock up my reel as I didn’t want to experience the heartbreak of another loss!” said Neil, who used 10lb mainline and an 18ins braided hooklength to a size 10 hook.
The impressive barbel!