Double figure Barbel before breakfast anyone?
Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2014 3:29 pm
This morning I took the ledgerstrike down to a small bridge pool on the Sussex Ouse, about 20 mins drive from my house. Matched it up with a trudex with 6 lb mono. 3 swan shot on a link ledger, free running. Hair rigged monster pellet (don't usually fish with pellet but I was after a Barbus Maximus). 15 mins in the water and I had a stonking screaming run which I hit and then played what felt like quite a large relatively lively fish. It took a while for me to see it and when I got my first glimpse through the very coloured water, it looked so big I thought it was a common carp. I thought it was too big to be a barbel. Then it came up again and I couldn't believe it, it was a Barbel.
I didn't have any scales with me and to be honest the fish was very spawned out. The poor thing looked half starved and very lean. You can see in the photo its less than full belly area and marks on its fins, side and belly from the gravel bottom.
I call it double figure because if it isn't its very close, however once this fish is up to weight its going to be 12 or 13 lbs. its incredibly long. I estimate looking at the photo and measuring from the but ring down 2 thirds of the handle on the ledgerstrike that its 36+ inches long!
Its amazing how these monster fish live in these tiny waters. The pool I caught it from is 3 to 4 rod lengths wide and the same length and the stream running in and out of it is one rod length wide. However, being a weirpool it has plenty of oxygen and food to support bigger fish. Not to mention the American crayfish which is devastating to young fish stocks but making our adult fish bigger and stronger than ever.
After the Barbel I moved on down to another swim and had a couple of nice chub. Then I packed up and went to work and no one was any the wiser.
Lovely ...
I didn't have any scales with me and to be honest the fish was very spawned out. The poor thing looked half starved and very lean. You can see in the photo its less than full belly area and marks on its fins, side and belly from the gravel bottom.
I call it double figure because if it isn't its very close, however once this fish is up to weight its going to be 12 or 13 lbs. its incredibly long. I estimate looking at the photo and measuring from the but ring down 2 thirds of the handle on the ledgerstrike that its 36+ inches long!
Its amazing how these monster fish live in these tiny waters. The pool I caught it from is 3 to 4 rod lengths wide and the same length and the stream running in and out of it is one rod length wide. However, being a weirpool it has plenty of oxygen and food to support bigger fish. Not to mention the American crayfish which is devastating to young fish stocks but making our adult fish bigger and stronger than ever.
After the Barbel I moved on down to another swim and had a couple of nice chub. Then I packed up and went to work and no one was any the wiser.
Lovely ...
