Barbel Fishing

[spindolero 1,109]

Alright all.

Concentrated on the chub past couple of years but wanna focus on the barbel this year.

Anyone regularly catching?

Tried last week hair rigging a halibut pellet & loose feeding smaller pellet, over hemp.

Blanked, had a touch but fairly sure wasn't barbel.

Any advice appreciated.

[J Darcy 5,871]

Hi mate, i love barbel fishingand hope to do more this year. It was 1995 when we first discovered a relatively unfished stretch of river. My cousing caught a june barbel by bouncing a huge lump of meat down some fast spawning riffles. It was a 7lber if i remember correctly. Up until that year i was very unlucky having lost many fish, but that year was great for me and i landed 58 from that one stretch in the space of a few months. I used to fish a pair of diawa porky pigs @13ft. Good stiff barbel rods and , even today, equal anythign on the market IMHO. These were held upright with a long rest . Bite indication was by an optonic electronic alarm and fox swinger. 8 or 10 lb line to a swivel. Then 2 foot of 12lb kryston to a size 6 drennan super specialist. From the swivel i ran a break-link of 3lb line to a 1 1/2 omb out was the luncheon meat rod and i cast that to the other side about thirty yards downstream of my intended baiting area. I then tackled up the 2nd rod. This second was set up the same as the first but the bait was corn, either pescaviva strawberry or just green giant. Three grains to a size 6. this i cast out and then waded out and tipped 10 LITRE tub of hemp/ sweetcorn mix into the area i wantede to fish, spreading it about a bit too. The amount of barbel i got as i was tackling that 2nd rod up was uncanny and i honestly beleive that the barbel were coming to the sound of the bomb hitting the water. It was a great summer for me and taught me alot. I got some good pics of barbel feeding too as well as a great tan! lol. I caught the same chub 3 times in one day as well. It was a mental year fishing for me and i will never forget it. Basically what im sayingmate, is try sweetcorn/hemp with a few grains on the hook...or caster and hemp good luck..

[spindolero 1,109]

Thanks for that JD.

My main problem is the Loddon is jammed with weed, making it difficult to trundle a bait for any distance.

I did see a fella on TV putting 8lb line straight through to a size 6 hook. lump of meat, and using plasticene maybe 12 inches back up the line. think he rolled the meat down using a centre pin. Meaning any weedy snags you only lose the plasticene.

[J Darcy 5,871]

The first barbel were trundled, the rest were on leger...static....If you find a nice swim and with a pair of poloroids can see the coral pink , shark-like fins of a barbel then i woudl tip about a bucket full of hemp/corn into a fastish swim, right on the edge of the weed. What will happen is often amazing for the barbel will clear everything off the bottom and that also included weed and algae...everything really......they cant even digest hemp so god only knows why they eat it! I would do that one night and the next fish over the top of it, at the BOTTOM of the baited area for i am of the opinion that barbel approach the baited area from downstream. I like a heavy lead tied to the swivel with a short 2 inch link as you can feel every knock, you are in direct contact with your bait and yet the fish will hook itself when it bolts downstream. Personaly i would onyl use 10lb line and have the clutch real tight so they really have to fight to take line.... If i go this summer i will take a few pics....

[Guest chilli]

if u have weed rake it out simple as f**k an you will catch silly

[Guest baldie]

Bloody hell JD, diawa porky pigs havent seen one of them in a good few year, they were real popular on the fast parts of the trent, with the biggest drennan feeders.

[moocher 0]

Here are a couple of doubles mate.From a little river no one believes holds any Barbel.

 

 

 

 

This one was taken in a flooded river with the best floodwater Barbel bait going, a big Lobworm. Just trundled it along the bottom in the flow.

 

 

 

This one was taken in normal river conditions, Halibut pellet, Freelined on one of my trusty "Pins"

 

 

Both of these fish went just over 10lb

 

Tight lines

 

Moocher

[spindolero 1,109]

Alright Dandyman?

Which rivers in the NE do you fish?

My in laws are Stockton people so fished the Tees (Preston park) , Leven. Also been down to Yorkshire Ouse (Linton). Think i have fished the Swale once , Topcliffe ring any bells? Think that was it.

 

Don't get up there much but always good when I do.

Anyway mate tight lines wherever you are.

[J Darcy 5,871]

Topcliffe weir is hammered. Best to night fish it about 100 yards below weir. Meat. You will need a heavy lead to hold the bottom there. Personally i would go to asenby a few miles downstream of toppcliffe and walk upstream from the island approx 1/2 mile. Leger meat or corn under willows on inside bank..Heavy line needed though

[Guest chilli]

if bedfordshire isnt to far to travel i can think of two clubs you can join were big barbel come out regular an there cheap as anything to join .

[spindolero 1,109]

if bedfordshire isnt to far to travel i can think of two clubs you can join were big barbel come out regular an there cheap as anything to join .

 

Best mate lives in Harrold, so do get up there couple times a year. Thanks

[bigdazz 0]

i do mostly carp fishing but having a bash at the barbel this year

[spindolero 1,109]

Carrying on the Barbel topic.

Has anyone fished for stronger fighting UK river fish?

I've heard Barbel, Salmon and Carp called hardest fighting.

Just wondered if anyone with experience of all had a viewpoint?