New record barbel

[Olly]

When carp - and barbel - got names I lost interest for some years catching pike instead. Got back into both barbel & carp but them 'that has no-name'! Or a giant size!

[Julian]

I believe that is just one ounce more than the previous record from back in 2006, which was caught a couple of miles from my home ( upper Great Ouse) .

[Kev D]

I wonder how many sacks of worms he had his Man tip in as groundbait.

[Gary Bills]

It's just odd how big fish get put on a rota, for other anglers to catch - for boxes to be ticked, and all to satisfy the ego.

[Bobthefloat]

A cracking fish, new British record and a very happy looking angler! Well done him

[Aitch]

The sad thing is every trophy hunter will descend on the venue in the hope of catching it an ounce or two heavier, or just to say "I caught a 21lb Barbel" it would not surprise me that the poor creature is found dead... fair play to the chap who caught it, but it could be a deja vu of the Adam's Mill debacle'

[Liphook]

Trophy hunters are just that. True anglers will surely congratulate the captor and hope to find their own leviathan someday

[DWW]

I have spoken with the angler in question and this is a fine catch ! Its from a Sussex river and the fishing on the river is not easy by any means . Well done that man !

[Dave Burr]

High protein boilie monster, its somewhat unnatural to me, just like the carp....

Thanks
BB

The angle the fish is being held and the picture taken may well have distorted the fish. Any big barbel is bulky much like big chub but it doesn't distract from the fact that, after a long while, the barbel record has been broken - good luck to him. As for the circus that will flock to the venue, I hope they have their hats blown into the river.

[Mole-Patrol]

It certainly is a splendid capture and well done that man! I just hope that he gets to continue to enjoy that stretch although I very much doubt that he will once the 'circus' arrive and set up camp.

There are a couple of carp lakes around where I live and I got talking to an angler on the plane over here who was fishing one of them. I knew that he was an angler because he was constantly taking out his phone and looking at a 60lb carp that he was holding. I did a bit of research afterwards and discovered that the small lake in question has three named carp up to just over 60lb and anglers pay up to €1,000 per week in order to have chance to stand behind one of them. It reminded me of those things they used to have at the sea-side where you stuck your head through a hole and was photographed looking like a strong man. Same scene, different face.

Different strokes!