I caught my PB Barbel 3 hours after high tide at Watersfield at 1:30 in the morning. The high tide at littlehampton was at 20:00, so another 2:30 for the tide to be high at Watersfield made it high water there at 22:30. The water temperature was at 9.5C when I arrived, rose to 9.8C at high tide and dropped back to 9.5C when it was caught.

I had been feeding the swim for 4 hours with a large open end feeder using a mixture of ‘Wraysbury Bait’ barbel feed pellets and crushed ‘Goose’ boillies also from ‘Wraysbury Bait’ all laced with ‘Goose’ glog… The hook bait was 2 x 10mm ‘Goose’ boillies hair rigged on a size 8 long shank hook wrapped in ‘Goose’ paste, making it big enough to keep the bream at bay…

As the tide started running out with pace towards the sea, I decided to use the Bang On method to drift a 3oz ledgered bolt rig on a safety clip right by the edge of a overhanging bush, where the bait had eventually drifted, creating a ‘safe zone’ were worried fish would feed in confidence… I knew there was plenty of bait already out there so I didn’t bother filling up the balloon with bait… I only used a small sausage balloon to help me cast the rig far enough in order to ‘bow it down’ as you would with a float (a small balloon will obviously cast better than a big one that is filled up with bait…). Having drifted the balloon at the exact desired area, a sharp pull on the rod activated the striker and popped the balloon. The rig went down perfectly into position…

5 minutes later, I started having little indications that something was interested, although I thought it would be another bream…

But then, my 2lb test curve rod took a 90 degree bend and I knew that the battle was on with a serious fish….

It took me about 10 minutes to have the first glance of this magnificent fish and my heart went into my mouth having realised that I was playing with probably a potential PB…

Out went the XL landing net and it was all mine…

I left the fish in the net comfortably in the water, dropped the rod, scratched my head and laid down flat on my back in the wet grass looking at the stars…

This shows that the Bang On method doesn’t have to be used all the time during a session, but it can help you to reach an area with confidence on the right spot and at the right moment…

I then wetted the mat, prepared the camera and lifted it out of the water with caution… Off went the flashes promptly and the scale showed a 15lbs 6oz beauty… I left it in the water for another 10 minutes making sure it was fully recovered before letting it go… Phew!

The proof of this method is now definitely in the pudding!

There is a distinctive dark marking spot about the size of a 50 pence coin on the right flank of the fish… Perhaps someone knows her?

This was my second session on the Arun… Coincidence or just luck? who knows…

I’ll be back there soon and I can’t wait to try our new spot at Stopham…
For more information about my own unique Bang On method of presenting a hookbait please click HERE
Christophe Pelhate