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Red-hot River Lea gives up another cracking barbel

by Freddie Sandford |

Updated on16th January 2026 at 3.06pm

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Yet another colossal barbel has been landed from the River Lea, this time by Mark Saul, who slipped the net under this thickset fish weighing 19lb 10oz.

Fishing one of the day-ticket pegs at Kings Weir, Mark introduced two pints of hemp and half-a-pint of maggots with a bait dropper and fished a 2oz maggot feeder over the top. Below this sat a short fluorocarbon hooklink and a size 10 hook, on which he fished a mag aligner rig with four real grubs.

Recasting every 30 minutes, Mark had a violent bang on the tip on the fourth chuck of his session, followed by a few more gentle bounces.

Winding into the fish, the fight was unspectacular yet edgy, as Mark had caught a glimpse of a huge, deep-bodied barbel early on. In immaculate condition, it’s a fish that Mark was truly delighted with.

IF YOU ARE NEW TO BARBEL FISHING, THIS GUIDE WILL HELP YOU BANK ONE!

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