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Prebaiting helps tempt enormous brace of Stour barbel

by Freddie Sandford |

Published on12th January 2026 at 10.04am

After landing an 18lb Hants Avon barbel earlier this season, Nigel Kennard turned his attentions to the Dorset Stour, where catching a sixteen-pounder was his aim. Fishing a stretch close to home which he’d been baiting regularly, Nigel duly smashed his target, not once, but twice, in a single session by landing fish of 16lb 7oz and 16lb 8oz just a few hours apart!

With the river running 4ft up after rainfall, he needed a 6oz lead to hold bottom in the flow, and the smaller of his fish was taken two hours into the session after it took a 14mm boilie. It plodded around in front of him before coming to the net, at which point Nigel instantly recognised it as one of his targets.

The 'smaller' of the brace!

With it then being a case of ‘mission complete’, Nigel contemplated going home. However, he decided to stay on and, after three frustrating hours of being wiped out by detritus coming downriver, he hooked another powerful barbel. After an epic battle he netted a fish an ounce heavier than the first, completing his biggest-ever brace!

HERE ARE SOME EXCELLENT TIPS TO HELP YOU CATCH YOURSELF A BARBEL...

Nigel with the biggest of the brace at 16lb 8oz!

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