After spotting a few barbel during a grayling session on the River Itchen, John Jeffries rushed back to the car, grabbed a feeder rod and some pellets, and not long after landed this incredible specimen weighing 17lb 2oz! This fish falls a mere one ounce short of the claimed record of 17lb 3oz caught by Lee Noakes in 2018.
He was on a trip to celebrate his birthday with his friend, Tom Kelly, and while walking the stretch before fishing that morning, saw two medium-sized barbel holding station on a tight bend in the river.
Having grabbed some suitable tackle, John returned and saw that they’d since been joined by a much bigger fish, so he cast out a single pellet below a 2oz lead and fed a few freebies, keeping a low profile as he did so.
Soon, the barbel started to feed with confidence, and he watched them slowly edge upstream towards his hookbait… before then seeing his rod tip hammer round!
Standing up, John quickly realised that he’d hooked the largest one of the trio, and in the shallow and snaggy stretch enjoyed an exciting battle before netting his prize.
The fish is John’s biggest- ever barbel, and a particularly welcome result on his birthday!
THE BEST BARBEL RODS WILL HELP TAME ANY BARBEL, FROM ANY RIVER!
