I've just been in leslies of luton and one of the lads in there asked if i'd heard about the 22lb barbel rumoured to have come from the trent earlier this morning. Anyone else heard this?
I don't know that I believe it and I don't know how the guys in there would have heard about it so quickly.

Sure it wasnt a 22Lb barrel?

*Gets coat!

I would not be surprised by such a capture.

Anything is possible Ronald, there must be loads of big uncaught fish in the nations larger rivers!

That's kind of what i was thinking. I know there's been rumours of 17's from the trent so it wouldn't surprise me at all if there were some unknown monsters although I would have thought that to get that big they would have to be scoffing a lot of high protein bait and by doing that would be more likely to have been caught previously approaching that weight.

I have heard these rumours. However, the rumoured weights vary which leads me to suspect that it is rumour only. Love it to be true though! Would make a fantastic story.

Lob-on simply thinking of it!

Wanderer goes into retirement after a long and distiguished carrer in the media!

Ta-ta, love! see-ya!!

There does not have to be any history of this fish the Trent could hide a twenty as well as a haystack could cover a needle!

I agree Lee. The rumour mill is in overdrive but I can't believe a fish of this size wouldn't come to the surface.

There have been some good fish 16lb+ caught by carp anglers and the picture that Bob has of the un-weighed fish could be anything upto 18-19lb. There are the building blocks in place for a new record another mild winter and spring and come feb-march who knows!

It'd be nice!

I heard about this 22lb fish too and an 18 lb has supposed to have come out of the same area. I don't know whether to believe it or not but what a brace of fish that would make don't you think

I can almost here the circus pulling up their tent pegs and getting ready to move. Please please dont let it be on the upper Trent.

Anybody know where Phil Smith fishing at the moment?

It wouldnt surprise me in the least,just hope its not in the areas I am fishing, firstly cus I'd be gutted I didnt catch it lmao, and secondly I dont have enough cash to join the syndicate that will buy the lease on the stretch of the river when they know where the fish came from. Seriously I have been saying that a biggy will come sooner rather than later, despite what others have said about the barbel sizes "peaking" in the Trent. Like Swordsy says theres a lot of river to hide in,and of course theres a helluva lot of HNV baits been going inover the past five years in particular,somethings got to eat them lol.
My biggest this season as been 14lb3oz. As for rumours, well I did have a guy tell me that hed caught a 15lb19oz fish last season ermmm yeah right and how many ounces to the pound is that mate? 22lb sounds an incredible specimen though,makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

Don, 15lb 190z! lol, It wasn't coops was it?!

Anyone who has taken the time to study just what a mighty river this is, has got to agree that a 22lb barbel or even bigger in the future is certainly on.

There are vast stretches of the tidal Trent for example that never see an angler. In fact the banks are extremely dangerous.

During the 1850s the very biggest barbel used to be caught in the Gainsborough area. Even today I hear shadowy reports of a small group of anglers who are catching very impressive barbel below Gainsborough!

Also consider that barbel are very nomadic. The can travel 10 miles in a week if so inclined.

A 22lb fish is certainly possible. In the Vistula in Poland they have had Barbus barbus up to over 15kg!

I have seen a photo of such a fish when I was last in Warsaw.

lol Phil, the Colne actually...........

I'm sure there are big fish that don't see the bank in stretches of the Trent, but it's a huge leap from fish of 15lb & 16lb to 22lb.

I would have thought more 18's, 19's and the like would have come out before something like this was caught.
I was a bit dubious when I heard them talking about it cos most of the stuff I've heard in tackle shops before has turned out to be people talking a load of twaddle!
Ron, that would make the Polish ones over 30lb wouldn't it?
Bejesus! I think I've just wet myself!
Ron isn't 15