Seriously BIG fish off the river Wear!

[philocalist]

Wasn't actually fishing, just having a wander about bankside to see what sort of damage had been left behind after all the floods etc. Bloody cold day, even started to snow at one point and I was about to do an about-face and head back to the car when I
saw an angler ahead - he was the only person I'd seen on the entire bank!

Closer scrutiny, and I saw he was stuck fast onto something, with a hell of a bend in the rod, well snagged up (I thought). I stood watching (as you do!) from maybe 60 yards away when it dawned on me that the rod was a bit too lively for a snag - I think I closed the distance in about 5 seconds flat, keeping back from the bank, but it was very open there so my approach was seen - and he WAS hooked into a real lump of a fish - don't think I've ever seen such a mixture of satisfaction and abject terror on a face before!
The fish was just plodding up and down, apparently had been for some time, even though the guy had been targetting barbel with 8lb mainline (AND he appeared to know what he was doing!) - his thoughts were that it was a decent barbel that he had somehow foul-hooked, and it was sulking

Anyways, maybe 5 minutes later he had it to the surface for the first time - apparently fairly hooked in the mouth, but a seriously fat fish, though neither of us got a good look: a few minutes later it was netted.

Now, understandably, he's asked me to be a bit discrete about this (as it's his very favourite barbel hole, evidently unknown / unfished by others) - I took pictures of him with the fish, and can verify the weight I saw too (digital scales by Fladen, so likely to be at least reasonably accurate) - he doesn't post on the forums(!), but has promised to send me something via email.....

Meanwhile...............























.............. it was a bloody great common carp, registering 23lbs 13oz on his scales!

...... from the bloody River Wear, up here in the frozen North with temperatures around freezing!

Edited February 22, 2013 by philocalist

[Worms]

I bet he's rubbing his hands with glee....should feed the family for a week!