Connor Bell had a session to remember after catching what is believed to be the biggest barbel ever to come from the River Dee.
"Over the last three years I’ve been trying to catch a big barbel from the River Dee, and on a recent session I landed just such a fish – this 15lb 4oz specimen, which is, to my knowledge, the biggest ever caught from the river," Connor told us.
“With the waterway running low and clear, scaling down and being as quiet as possible on the bank was the key to my success. Arriving at 5pm after work, I decided to target an area of turbulent, deeper water, where I felt sure the fish would be holding up in the low levels."
"Rather than rushing to cast out, I sat and fed for an hour with the catapult. Noisy swimfeeders and bait droppers have no place in such clear, low conditions and, in my opinion, a regular trickle of pellets is a far better option."
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"I then rigged up a 21g bomb, just heavy enough to hold bottom, on a scaled-down set-up, using 8lb mainline, a 5ft hooklink of 7lb fluorocarbon, and a size 14 wide gape specialist hook. While that arrangement may seem light by today’s barbel fishing standards, in the conditions I felt a touch of finesse would swing the odds in my favour."
"After an hour of feeding, I clipped on my bomb andpunched some 8mm barrels of meat to fish directly on the hook. The muggy night air left me feeling breathless, and I just knew something was going to happen. But, I’ve had three years of feeling like this, and three years of going home with my mission incomplete!"
"My first cast hit the mark, and I paid out a small bow of line. Rattles from chub came quickly, and two small fish of around a pound soon followed. All the while, I rarely put the catapult down. Bait spread over a wide area feeding encouraged the fish to drop their guard. In nature, food doesn’t arrive in neat piles!"
“I was just loading some more pellets into the pouch when the rod smashed over violently, and the fish then led me on what I can only describe as a merry dance – upstream, downstream, all over the stream in fact!"
"Once it surfaced, my legs went weak – the sheer length of the fish left me in a speechless mess. Immediately I jumped into the river, work clothes still on, and landed it. Its head and tail touched the edges of my 42ins net!"
"After it had been well rested, the scales and weigh sling were calibrated, before revealing the astonishing figure of 15lb 4oz. The overall key to success in barbel fishing in low rivers for me is simple – scale down, minimise evidence of your presence, feed frugally, and fish small baits.”
HEAD TO ONE OF THESE STRETCHES OF RIVER FOR THE CHANCE TO CATCH A BIG BARBEL!
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