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19lb 12oz fish tops remarkable spell for southern river, with an 8lb 9oz chub also taken from the same in-form stretch
SINCE the start of the season there’s been one river that seems to have been making the headlines almost every week – the intimate yet iconic River Lea.
The historic waterway, on the borders of Hertfordshire and Essex, has produced a steady stream of huge fish, and has just enjoyed another memorable week after local angler Ricky Woolfe landed a 19lb 12oz barbel – the biggest caught anywhere in the country this season.
If that wasn’t enough, Peter Davies caught an 8lb 9oz chub from there just a few days later!
Both fish were taken from the Kings Weir a stretch and, amazingly, the barbel isn’t one of the two 19-pounders that were caught there at the end of last season, as fishery manager Andy Tredgett explained.
“We keep detailed records of the barbel, with measurements and extensive photography,” he said. “There are three barbel in the stretch that have the potential to top the 20lb mark!”
In the same week as landing his 19-pounder, Ricky also added a fish bang on 17lb.
“To have two fish like this shows just how incredible a river the Lea is – I love the place,” he told us. “I caught the bigger fish
