Fishing a low stocked water

[Neil Smart]

Some excellent posts, and reinforces just what we are up against if we don't fish the Trent.
I am not the most patient of anglers and blanking has become more the norm when targeting Barbel, Chub do help but in truth I am kidding myself catching them on barbel gear.
I don't ever fish two rods, but I am thinking of doing so on the Avon especially, using a downstream rod on a bite alarm as a 'sleeper" targeting Barbel especially at dusk, and the other lighter set up hopefully keeping me entertained , any upstream feeding could drift downstream...well its a plan, but you know best laid plans etc and sods law are very much fishing reality.
Personally I don't get too hung up on what baits and what others are using, I still believe a cube of SPAM will do OK especially on a low stock river.

 

[Richard Isaacs]

Some excellent posts, and reinforces just what we are up against if we don't fish the Trent.
I am not the most patient of anglers and blanking has become more the norm when targeting Barbel, Chub do help but in truth I am kidding myself catching them on barbel gear.
I don't ever fish two rods, but I am thinking of doing so on the Avon especially, using a downstream rod on a bite alarm as a 'sleeper" targeting Barbel especially at dusk, and the other lighter set up hopefully keeping me entertained , any upstream feeding could drift downstream...well its a plan, but you know best laid plans etc and sods law are very much fishing reality.
Personally I don't get too hung up on what baits and what others are using, I still believe a cube of SPAM will do OK especially on a low stock river.

Good luck with it Neil. Hope the new laid out plans come to fruition for you.

 

[Steve Jones]

I sent an autumn/ early winter on my local river Anker back in the mid 2000s for hardly any beards but had a great time which is what it's all about for me. Fish where you enjoy being and if you catch it's a bonus

 

[Derek Funcks]

I sent an autumn/ early winter on my local river Anker back in the mid 2000s for hardly any beards but had a great time which is what it's all about for me. Fish where you enjoy being and if you catch it's a bonus

Love that, my philosophy also, on ANY river i fish. Just being out there is enough for me.

 

[Stephen Goderski]

On low stick venues I become very Goldilocks in my assessment of conditions and tend not to bother unless they are just right

 

[Stephen Goderski]

Stock not stick…

 

[Richard Bruton]

Two years a go I spent an awful lot of time fishing a Hants Avon venue that used to hold a good head of barbel but doesn't do the business anymore.

I had a solitary barbel of 1lb but in the December I saw a monstrous barbel roll. Focused all of my efforts in that area for the remainder of the season but no joy.

 

[Neil Smart]

Two years a go I spent an awful lot of time fishing a Hants Avon venue that used to hold a good head of barbel but doesn't do the business anymore.

I had a solitary barbel of 1lb but in the December I saw a monstrous barbel roll. Focused all of my efforts in that area for the remainder of the season but no joy.

This sort of thing reinforces your hopes, just to know that it is not barren of a good fish or two. But interesting that you caught a juvenile Barbel which is probably as important if not moreso than the big Barbel.The decline in the Hants Avon has been alarming but such a beautiful river.