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Hi Ady I sent you message regarding the Drennan Specialist Double Rod Hardcase.

I was in Go Outdoors recently looking at single rod holdalls that with take a 12' rod banksticks and a net this looked pretty good. https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15906629/sonik-sktek-12-to-13-adapta-sleeve-15906629

Hi Rob, I'm in the market for a light 2 rod 'hard' case for transporting/carrying two made up 12' rods. I was in Ringwood tackle today and had a good hands on look at the new Drennan product (see link below) it appears very high quality....but at a price...

Back in the day this was a specimen Barbel for me. Throop, June 16th, first day of the season 1973 5lbs 15oz. Trying to follow in the footsteps of my heroes, Walker, Wheat, Taylor and Stone. Caught on the South/Bournemouth bank a couple of hundred yards upstream of School Bridge in the 'Big...

Terry If I'm correct the swim in the photo is on the South Bank just upstream of where the Moors river enters on the opposite bank and just upstream of you is the high bank and style, leading to nettled beds/long meadow and then Hurn Court bridge? If it is I fished it in 81/82/83 and caught...

Terry that was the 'NASA' 'Record list', in the 80's the Official British Record Fish Committee (BRFC) Barbel record was Joe Day's 13 lbs 12 oz 1960's Royalty caught specimen. For some further perspective, in the mid to late 80's the official British Chub record was Bill Warrens 1950's 7 lbs 6...

Hi Alan I posted the info below back in June 2019 on this thread https://barbel.co.uk/forum/threads/in-the-market-for-a-new-shelter.15436/page-2#post-227374 "I hate carrying more weight than I have to, especially now older and weaker than when in my 'prime'. It's the age old issue of weight...

Gerry et-al, I hate carrying more weight than I have to, especially now older and weaker than when in my 'prime'. It's the age old issue of weight, mobility over comfort. Two winters ago I was still using an old (late 80's) Green efgeeco thick plastic/oil skin bullet proof 50" brolly for river...

I'd say 10oz on a barbel of this length and bulk (size) up or down in a few days is well within the norm? If the fish has stopped growing and is just 'fluctuating' on the annual four season cycle, impacted by the weather, available food and spawning, then weights of big 17 to 22 + would feel...

Dave that's correct I'd never heard of the Drennan cup when I caught that fish, as you say it was the inaugural year. I did serve 9 years in the Royal Marines in various Commando Units and ended up my service in RM Poole (Hamworthy). I think I was still fishing Throop in 86 so you may well...

Stephen, it was a totally different era with the Barbel record at 13.12 and the chub record at 7.06. I recently recovered my specialist angler magazines out of the loft. There is a great article in one from Pete Reading on 'Saving the Avon' (from weed cutting, fish farming, chub parasite etc)...

Stephen, thereby hangs a tale 'from stickleback netting on the Mexborough canal to barbel hunting on private sporting estates along the middle reaches of Wessex rivers'. As an aside it was Peter (R) who witness and photographed my fish back in 1984. Mark, I feel in the Walker, Wheat, Stone...

A fantastic capture from an enchanting and frustrating river. I have very limited experience of the Thames's. But the application and dedication that needs to be put in on such a big deep river with a seemingly small and mobile population of barbel, has to be applauded. Well done John.

Just to set the record straight (my memory is terrible these days) and to put things in context, the stand out capture off of the middle Avon (and therefor of national significance) in the mid 1980's was Andy Orme's winter caught 13.07. The BRFC official record was then 13lbs 12oz!

Thanks Bill and Dave, I may pop up from Poole to Farnborough for 'The Big One' tackle show, as Freespirt and quite a few other rod suppliers will be there. Thanks again to everyone.

There is the Drennan Specialist 12ft Twin Tip Duo 1.5 on their web site. There is also a Martin Bowler 12ft 1.75TC Specimen Barbel (for more money). Has anyone used the Drennan Specialist 1.5 for Barbel with the Avon top as opposed to the quiver tip option? In the winter there will be a bit of...

Mike, I will take a look at the Free Spirit range. Richard, for the last two winters I have fished quite a few swims, in good river conditions which to me looked 'spot on'. The swim in the photo is on Beat 3 Throop and when I first fished it as a boy was on the 'Cooper Dean' ticket, before...

My trusty 12 foot Tri-Cast 1.25TC rods (but feel more powerful than many 1.5TC rods I've tried) are now in their 35th season and I'm considering hanging them up in the 'Rod Room' for the last time. Built by Pete Evens of Sheffield they cost around £100 each (about £300 in today's money). Over...

So, Dick Walker, Fred J Taylor & Colonel Crow were not wrong in the late 60's when they looked over Ibsley and Ellingham bridges and said "there be giants". Whilst Dick and Fred observed and spoke of 15 to 20 lbs Barbel in the middle Avon, the biggest they caught was 12.04 (by Dick on lob...

19lbs 11oz!!! https://www.facebook.com/groups/barbelfishingtheprinceoftheriver/ I posted the note below on facebook. Hi Pete very well done! I remember "A Barbel Summer" the article which you wrote back in the early 80's which so inspired me! How about the sequel "A Barbel winter"...