Maggots are a bait that many barbel anglers reach for in the winter months, and Paul Cockfield showed just why they can be so good on a recent trip to the River Kennet, where he landed fish scaling 17lb 11oz and 13lb 3oz.
Targeting a stretch near Newbury, the 60-year-old used a bait dropper to introduce a pint of dead maggots and chilli hemp, plus another pint of live maggots, then left the swim to rest for an hour.
When he made his first cast, Paul dropped a large maggot feeder and an eight-maggot hookbait presented on a 12-inch coated braid hooklink over the top, and within an hour had a take from the biggest of this brace.
Despite having some otter damage to its tail, Paul noted that the fish put up an impressive fight in the flooded river conditions. The second barbel came four hours later, just as he was packing up.
THE SEASON IS NEARLY OVER, HERE ARE SOME TIPS TO HELP YOU CATCH A LATE SEASON BARBEL...
