LIFELONG angler Phil White has landed one of the biggest-ever braces of barbel from the Hampshire Avon, banking this 16lb 9oz fish alongside another of 15lb 7oz.
Casting out after dark on a busy stretch, he soon received what he described as ‘a strange indication’ on the tip, when the rod bounced twice, moved forward a foot, then stopped. He waited 20 minutes before reeling in and recasting, and shortly afterwards had a similar bite, but this time hit into what he at first thought was a small chub that had snagged him solid.
With steady pressure, the fish came free, and after a spirited battle he was surprised at the size of the barbel that hit the surface. At 16lb 9oz, Phil was delighted, but just half-an-hour later came another, more traditional bite, resulting in a second barbel of 15lb 7oz.
He took both fish using Klips boilies, designed by his friend Paul Potter.
