Mark Erdwin made the most of a change in conditions recently when he banked a superb 17lb 7oz barbel from the River Loddon.
“With the rivers so low early in the season, I held back from barbel fishing, but after the heavy rains and better temperatures, I decided it was time to get out,” Mark explained.
Fishing a homemade dumbell hookbait wrapped in paste, he soon received a series of encouraging knocks on the tip – but when an otter passed through his swim, he feared his chances had gone.
“The indications stopped dead, and my heart sank a bit,” he admitted.
Undeterred, he recast, and just 20 minutes later the clutch on his centrepin screamed into life.
“It turned into an intense game of hit-and-hold, and I didn’t want to give an inch,” Mark said.
After a dogged battle, the big barbel was eventually coaxed into the waiting net.
“When I looked down into the mesh, I was lost for words,” he revealed.
“It was a stunning fish – and uniquely, it had some of the longest barbules I’ve ever seen, with little forks to them.”
DON'T GO FISHING WITHOUT SOME OF THESE BARBEL BAITS IN YOUR BAG...
