Keith Speer
Senior Member
I know things have been tough for some this season just finished; the very cold weather (and even colder water) has been the kiss of death for some rivers.
I have kept my eye on the river reports and I have to say, either the fishing has been a bit pants, OR, some, like me have kept a bit quiet about their catches.
I have to admit I have had one of my best seasons for a long time, granted in previous years I have caught more fish and bigger fish too, but for pure enjoyment my 2009/10 season will be hard to beat.
I often decide that I would like to catch a Barbel in every month of the year, I have managed it quite a few times and this year I managed to do it again, which was very pleasing.
All in, I managed to capture 204 Barbel of which 8 were doubles, I have caught them from:- The Kennet, The Great Ouse, The Ivel, The Lea, The Colne, and The Gade altogether very pleasing!
Last knockings in the snow!
For me a particular method has worked very well, in fact after catching a few fish last summer I decided to stick with the one method, it is a very simple method and there are plenty of anglers that are better than me, I am NOT trying to blow my own trumpet, but I am advocating “thinking outside the boxâ€, I have seen plenty of Barbel anglers over the year, and some (quite a few of those that have spoken to me) seemed surprised when I have told them I was fishing for Barbel, the fact is my method has simply gone out of fashion, but for me, this year it has been deadly.
What you may ask is this super method that has worked so well for me, simply it is the humble Stick float!!
I was very lucky to have been taught to use The Stick by some very good anglers, my dad refused to let me have a fixed spool reel until I had developed a good working knowledge of how to use a centre pin, one of my dads mates was a master on the tidal Thames with a pin, add to that lessons from Billy Lane (THE Master float angler) and a number of other equally good (if less well known) anglers and ten years of match fishing, eventually even a dopey angler like me will start to get it right on occasion.
But of all the methods available there is simply no better way of catching Barbel (or any other fish for that matter) than fishing a float on a centre pin.
The better fish still come late, even on the float.
Of course the method is of little use unless you get your feed pattern right, but in the case of Barbel, during warm weather you need to get as much down to Barbel trough level as you can, in cold water it is a bit more hit and miss, one afternoon session in January I used a quarter pint of maggots for 5 fish.
Also I think my choice of bait has been important, in the main I have caught on Maggot , Caster and Hemp, I have tried using pellet, but it has been largely un-successful, in fact on one river Pellet has become a Barbel repellent, I’m sure they still eat it but you have to be damned clever to get them to take it on a rig, yet on this venue they were absolute suckers for a single grain of large Hemp on a size 14, fished 10 inches off the bottom?
Please believe me I am not posting this to show what a good angler I am because I know (and fish with) much better anglers than I, but I am suggesting that maybe, just maybe approaching your fishing from a different direction might pay dividends and fishing with 2lb T/C rods 3oz leads and hair rigged boilies or pellets might not be, the be all and end all, of Barbel fishing, I know that’s what they say in the mag’s but they might not always be right?
My gear is usually a light float rod 6lb main line and 0.13 (4lb 12oz ) hook length, I up it a bit if I am trotting near snags but I have rarely used any thing heavier than my Drennan Tench Float Mk III and 8lb hook length.
You probably think this is far too light but I have not lost many from breakages, more from hook pulls when I put too much pressure on to small hooks, a centre pin gives you a definite edge when playing fish, I recon a pin is worth an extra 2lb of line strength especially when you have the line coming off the top.
I expect I will get a load of stick for this but all I am trying to do is offer an alternative to the current dogma, but as a bit of food for thought, I caught this fish in the last week of the season from a Bedfordshire river on a very light 12ft Drennan rod 0.13 hooklength and a size 18 Drennan Super Specialist eyed hook.
She went 14lb 12oz and she was the most perfect looking big fish I have caught for a long time, I’ve had bigger fish but she was a float caught pb of un-forgettable quality.
Tight Lines Chaps.
I have kept my eye on the river reports and I have to say, either the fishing has been a bit pants, OR, some, like me have kept a bit quiet about their catches.
I have to admit I have had one of my best seasons for a long time, granted in previous years I have caught more fish and bigger fish too, but for pure enjoyment my 2009/10 season will be hard to beat.
I often decide that I would like to catch a Barbel in every month of the year, I have managed it quite a few times and this year I managed to do it again, which was very pleasing.
All in, I managed to capture 204 Barbel of which 8 were doubles, I have caught them from:- The Kennet, The Great Ouse, The Ivel, The Lea, The Colne, and The Gade altogether very pleasing!
Last knockings in the snow!
For me a particular method has worked very well, in fact after catching a few fish last summer I decided to stick with the one method, it is a very simple method and there are plenty of anglers that are better than me, I am NOT trying to blow my own trumpet, but I am advocating “thinking outside the boxâ€, I have seen plenty of Barbel anglers over the year, and some (quite a few of those that have spoken to me) seemed surprised when I have told them I was fishing for Barbel, the fact is my method has simply gone out of fashion, but for me, this year it has been deadly.
What you may ask is this super method that has worked so well for me, simply it is the humble Stick float!!
I was very lucky to have been taught to use The Stick by some very good anglers, my dad refused to let me have a fixed spool reel until I had developed a good working knowledge of how to use a centre pin, one of my dads mates was a master on the tidal Thames with a pin, add to that lessons from Billy Lane (THE Master float angler) and a number of other equally good (if less well known) anglers and ten years of match fishing, eventually even a dopey angler like me will start to get it right on occasion.
But of all the methods available there is simply no better way of catching Barbel (or any other fish for that matter) than fishing a float on a centre pin.
The better fish still come late, even on the float.
Of course the method is of little use unless you get your feed pattern right, but in the case of Barbel, during warm weather you need to get as much down to Barbel trough level as you can, in cold water it is a bit more hit and miss, one afternoon session in January I used a quarter pint of maggots for 5 fish.
Also I think my choice of bait has been important, in the main I have caught on Maggot , Caster and Hemp, I have tried using pellet, but it has been largely un-successful, in fact on one river Pellet has become a Barbel repellent, I’m sure they still eat it but you have to be damned clever to get them to take it on a rig, yet on this venue they were absolute suckers for a single grain of large Hemp on a size 14, fished 10 inches off the bottom?
Please believe me I am not posting this to show what a good angler I am because I know (and fish with) much better anglers than I, but I am suggesting that maybe, just maybe approaching your fishing from a different direction might pay dividends and fishing with 2lb T/C rods 3oz leads and hair rigged boilies or pellets might not be, the be all and end all, of Barbel fishing, I know that’s what they say in the mag’s but they might not always be right?
My gear is usually a light float rod 6lb main line and 0.13 (4lb 12oz ) hook length, I up it a bit if I am trotting near snags but I have rarely used any thing heavier than my Drennan Tench Float Mk III and 8lb hook length.
You probably think this is far too light but I have not lost many from breakages, more from hook pulls when I put too much pressure on to small hooks, a centre pin gives you a definite edge when playing fish, I recon a pin is worth an extra 2lb of line strength especially when you have the line coming off the top.
I expect I will get a load of stick for this but all I am trying to do is offer an alternative to the current dogma, but as a bit of food for thought, I caught this fish in the last week of the season from a Bedfordshire river on a very light 12ft Drennan rod 0.13 hooklength and a size 18 Drennan Super Specialist eyed hook.
She went 14lb 12oz and she was the most perfect looking big fish I have caught for a long time, I’ve had bigger fish but she was a float caught pb of un-forgettable quality.
Tight Lines Chaps.
