WE hear of some truly unusual catches here at Angling Times, but this 16lb 4oz barbel, landed on a floatfished boilie just a few inches below the surface, is right up there with the strangest!
Leeds rod David Benson was on the tidal Trent near Torksey and flicking a few boilies out while he legered for barbel when he saw a vortex appear on the surface where his freebies landed.
Although he guessed it was a pike, he’s had a few barbel ‘up in the water’ in the past, so he decided to rig up a float.
“I set the float 18ins deep, cast out, gave it three seconds, then reeled in and cast out again while feeding small boilies – in and out like fly fishing!”
Thirty minutes later, as dusk descended, he was about to call it a day when his float shot under.
“The rig had only just landed, so I’d say the fish took 6ins from the surface! The fight was something else, and the fish smashed my PB of 12lb 5oz.”
