FOLLOWING a poor session on the River Wye, where he found the sport crippled by low water and poor oxygen levels, Russell Smith (57) headed back to his home river, the Thames, and was rewarded for his perseverance when he landed this fine 18lb barbel on a bunch of lobworms.
The fish smashed his rod over and pulled line from his Baitrunner reel, but after standing in the river and guiding it away from submerged cabbage beds he netted the fish after a good 15-minute battle.
The Whitton-based angler took time nursing his prize back to full strength before it swam powerfully back into the main flow.
Russell Smith – 18lb barbel