BRETT LONGTHORNE has enjoyed a brilliant season with five PBs - and came within an ounce of his chub best with this 7 lb 6 oz specimen.
Manchester-based Brett explained his winter chub success, that also featured a hefty barbel.
He told Angler’s Mail: “My latest session began on Friday night.
“I wasn’t fancying it because of a cold snap in the midweek previous, which saw temperatures plummet to freezing.
“I decided to head to the Trent.
“Maggot was the approach and to target the chub as I thought the barbel would not feed.
“I arrived late, put three spods of maggots and hemp in and used a size 16 hook, a 4 ft 8 lb hooklink and a 3 oz block-end feeder.
“Not much was happening at all, the maggots on the hook were not getting touched at all.
“But at 1.30 am on Saturday morning, I got my first bite and was not disappointed with my third 7 lb chub of the season.
“Then at 3 am I had another bite which resulted in a barbel at 13 lb 4 oz.”
Brett shows his big barbel.
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