13.01.17

Second huge barbel in as many days for Dean Macey!

As if catching one huge barbel from the River Lea wasn’t enough, Team Guru member Dean Macey followed it up with an even bigger one just a day later!

The Big Fish Off and Fishing Gurus TV star had made the most of some milder weather to land a 14lb 14oz specimen from the Hertfordshire venue, but the next evening things got even better when he decided to return as conditions were still spot on, and ended up with a new PB with this 16lb 2oz cracker!

He enthused: “I never feel that confident returning the same venue the day after catching a big fish, as it always feels like I am pushing my luck too far.

“This time however it felt really good, and there was something in my gut that told me to head to a totally different area of the river.

“I fished the same Hinders Barbel Bomb slop as the day before, with a Mainline Hybrid boilie wrapped in paste, and within seconds of my bait hitting the bottom, the tip slammed round. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the intended barbel but a hungry pike of about 7lb which tail-walked all over the swim, which wasn’t exactly ideal!

“After the unwanted disturbance I repeated my baiting strategy and lowered my rig into place for the second time. There were quite a few crayfish in the swim, judging by the rattles I was getting on my rod tip, and after two hours I wound in to check the bait, and was surprised to see that it was largely intact.

“I wrapped another big lump of paste around it and repositioned it for the remaining two hours before the venue closes, and again the crays attacked the bait for the next hour. Then all went quiet and suddenly I had a ‘four foot twitch’ on the rod tip and was into a fish that felt massive from the start – bearing in mind I’d had a 14lb 14oz one the day before!

“It was stalemate for sometime and then I was able to gain line, one turn of the reel at a time and inch her upstream until she was under my feet and I saw her turn in the clear water. I managed to hold it together until she slid over the net and then my hands started shaking uncontrollably – I love that feeling!”

“My mate Dave Perrott came down to do the photos and when we weighed her she broke my previous best of 15lb 8oz.

“It is now the morning after and I’ve had no sleep and am still totally buzzing – like a lottery winner!

“With the way many rivers are these days I never in my wildest dreams expected to beat my old PB, so this is a very special fish for me.”

He landed his latest specimen on a size 10 MWGB hook to a hook link tied using the new Pure fluorocarbon, with 10lb Drag-Line main line.

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