A two-hour drive from Middlesbrough to Collingham Weir on the River Trent resulted in this immense 17lb barbel for James Butler.
The fish came on just his second barbel trip.
“The bite came soon after dark and it nearly pulled the rod in!” he tells us.
“I battled the fish for 15 minutes but eventually managed to slip it into the net. My friend, an experienced barbel angler, couldn’t believe its size!”
James used maggots on a clip alongside a large PVA mesh bag filled with the same to fool the new personal best.