“Having booked some time off work, I went on a 48-hour session on the Trent at Newark in search of barbel. The first night was slow, with only two fish, but on the second I had a very slow take on my margin rod and was connected to something much weightier.
“The fish plodded around, hugging the river bed, before making powerful lunges that were quite unnerving due to the rocks and boulders in the swim.
“I didn’t realise how big the fish was until I lifted it on to unhooking mat – it was huge!
“Weighing 17lb 10oz, this Trent barbel beats my previous best by over 2lb.”
Joe Royffe – 17lb 10oz barbel