BBBB -Big baits, big barbel?

[Ian Grant]

In my opinion, it's not the size of the bait that matters, the critical words in your post Bob are .... ' bait dropper ', and ' every cast ' , the bait dropper.... or any type of feeder in my opinion will be doing what feeders do best, that's building a swim, and encouraging numbers of fish, usually the smaller far outnumbering the bigger, and as you say the bigger ones seeing the smaller hooked will shy off, also.... 'every cast'.... implying the dropper or feeder is applied frequently the splashing and disturbance further confirming the bigger fishes caution.
Most often I use double small baits in various shapes wrapped in paste, using feeders of any type, dropper, cage, method, etc, is a time honoured tactic for catching numbers of fish, but convincing a big old fish, that's learnt from experience of an anglers hook to take your bait is a different ball game.
You can approach targeting a big Barbel in two ways, first using feeders of all types in the way mentioned by frequent application through your session, and hope that one may make a mistake... and it might well do, but you may also grow a long beard waiting for it ! Or you can choose to deliberately target the bigger stamp of fish, by using techniques that considerably load the odds in your favour, that said by using those techniques, and forgoing those that will inevitably draw in larger numbers, you have to accept that you will not be catching Barbel in any great numbers, in fact in most cases if you get one take per session you are doing very well !
Small baits or big baits both will catch Barbel big or small, it's how you apply them for either that counts most in your success.

 

[Jim Ufton]

I think i'll stick with my small baits, might change if i fished the severn but last time i was on there was late 70s, dont really know the river, but i do know the upper trent and used to know the dove a little, and know what i do works, but each to whatever works for them, like i said in an earlier post, there,s no holy grail,,,,,
Regards
By the way lol ,love to have a chat on the bankside someday,,,,

 

[Damian Kimmins]

I think if anything this post shows how big barbel can be caught on many methods, and not to read into it that any one way is the holy grail, and also that the more that you refine the method you favour, and with time spent on a favoured method ,the more you pick up the little things that get that extra fish or two,,,,
Regards

If there is one thing that has struck me over the years it has been that the very different natures of the rivers we each fish for barbel has produced very different behaviours and responses.

 

[Richard Isaacs]

I love a big bait in certain conditions especially when the river is carrying extra water and colour. I’ve personally not noticed it for myself sort out the bigger from the smaller fish but I have noticed it can get more immediate results sometimes.

Bigger and more scent helps to be found quicker would be my best guess???

I’m not fishing a river that’s highly stocked with fish of all sizes I’m fishing for 1 bite from one good fish in a very restrictive time frame so it’s unlikely I’ll get the opportunity to see the real results regarding big fish being targeted away using big baits from a shoal of smaller ones.
I’m just not fishing that type of venue at all.

Jim does exactly the same thing on a similarly low stock big fish river and has a tactic absolutely nailed that I’ve personally see work very effectively. Again it’s unlikely he will see the advantages of bait sizes separating fish sizes simply because he’s fishing for one bite in a very restrictive time frame

I do however find the theory and the results very interesting from anglers lucky enough to put it through a proper test and prove that it works

Some of them baits look like shark baits my idea of big is a piece the size of 2 match boxes on top of each other…. Which is actually very small I’ve recently learned

 

[Jim Ufton]

Spot on rich

 

[Graham Elliott]

Sometimes it's the difference. That makes the difference.

When large meat baits were in real vogue, usually behind a hemp filled feeder, I caught better fish by going to 1/4 inch cubes and a straight light lead approach.

Feed would be 4 or 5 small cubes thrown upstream. Most fishing would be any depression pretty much under the rod tip line

 

[Ian Grant]

Every now and again you get a tip... learn a lesson... you know what I mean, this one was must be 20 plus years ago, it could be more like 25, I hadn't been in the club long.
In my previous post I mentioned that I usually use double baits of various shapes, now this is as a result of that 'tip' !
I was fishing the Loddon in a swim that I'd fished a few times, blanking but getting pulls, some pretty big ones at that, I was putting it down to Chub, but on other swims and stretches Chub were no stranger to my net, something niggled me that it wasn't Chub, perhaps liners ? maybe Barbel ? so I persisted.
It was one of these sessions when our very own Silver Fox Graham Elliot passed me, I doubt he remembers ... do you G ? ( I think in the company of Dave Durrant ), chit Chat for a few minutes, and I think I mentioned the liners were doing my head in ! Graham replied they might not be liners... the Barbel test your baits in that swim .... really ? !!! I thought ..... Nah ! Anyway we said our goodbyes and good luck, and Graham went on his way upstream.
I doubt he'd been gone a few minutes, and i had another 6" pull looking for the world like a bite about to develop.... Nothing !
Thinking about what he'd been saying, I had a bag of boilies 10 Milers, which actually looked more like 8 to me, now how could I make these really unusual ? Having a little think I tied a hair rig like a crucifix, threaded a boilie down the hair as normal, but the loop about 3/4" from the boilie, then took a piece of line about 1-1/2" with a loop at either end and granny knotted it equally to the main hair above the boilie, and attached a boilie to each loop, finally one more boilie on the loop at the end of the main hair ...... sorry if this is long winded... which formed a bunch of four boilies.
They've never seen anything like this I thought we'll see if Grahams theory is correct, so I cast it out, I really can't remember how long it was out there, but it wasn't long, and Whack !!! the three foot twitch, this was no liner !!! and a very pleasing 13lber was in my net, not a bad fish at all for that time.
Sometimes just being very different makes the difference, and a little tip from Graham that I've never forgotten, and one I'm convinced has tripped up many a wary Barbel for me

 

[Graham Elliott]

Hi Ian.

Of course I remember. And the exact swim.

In fact the article below, mentions exactly the same swim /swims along that stretch and the bait testing.

Had some Super fish from there and Hurst during those years.

Good Fortune for a Fortnight By Graham Elliott

Good Fortune for a Fortnight By Graham Elliott Loddon Week It was just a magical, lucky fortnight really. One to embellish the last weeks of the season and remain tucked away and fortified in the age deleting memory cells. I just love the River Loddon and it’s moods...

barbel.co.uk

 

[Jim Ufton]

Used to do a similar thing on the dove ian, put one of the baits on a band on the line above the hook and slide it down to the eye, and one on the hair, if they tried for both baits the hooks home, and the rods round

 

[Lawrence Breakspear]

I have said many times that big meat baits is not a silver bullet method, Barbel in the natural world live and thrive off tiny food stuffs like bloodworms, midge pupae, shrimps, fry, and on certain rivers soft back peeler crab and crayfish the size of your thumb nail. but be in no doubt single big baits work, but its what we are happy with as individuals, fishing big baits for me, suited my my approach and my lifestyle and still does, its great for the short afternoon and evening sessions I enjoy, what I have described in the past as "one rod, one pin and one bait, one fish" this has resulted in many double figure barbel for me and my friends of the years and still does and it still gets this old mans heart a thumping when the rod nods and the centrepin screams off and the quarter of a tin is taken by an unseen fish.

Remember, you can only catch what's in front of you....

 

[Clive Kenyon]

If there is one thing that has struck me over the years it has been that the very different natures of the rivers we each fish for barbel has produced very different behaviours and responses.

That is the post of this thread for me.

There are so many variables no one method fits all.

 

[Ady Brayshaw]

I couldn't agree more with your second paragraph Neil. It is a long while since I fished the opening few weeks on the shallow, spawning stretches and caught a huge haul. You will usually find me (if you can) away from the crowds and more often than not avoiding the barbel totally. My barbel season doesn't really get underway until September when the others have had their fill.

As for the first paragraph, yes I do fish the Trent and yes it can be prolific on some stretches, but not everywhere. I feel your pain fishing some of the rivers that are now virtually devoid of them. I do fish around the country on occasions and have had some head banging sessions, so I feel your pain. Don't get carried away with the conception that all you have to do is roll up to the Trent cast in a catch a 15 pounder. Apart from some well publicised stretches it just isn't like that.

Agree with your last comment Bob. There are many quiet stretches on the Trent where you don't just turn up and start bagging up. Although there are quite a few high profile anglers out there, than publicise in their writing, that this is the usual case. I also agree than the quiet sit and wait approach with big baits can produce the biggies. Not just barbel imho.

 

[Bob Brookes]

I have just caught up on this thread after being off the site for a while. It has thrown up some interesting points, not all in agreement with what my experience. However it does illustrate what a great pastime we all enjoy in whatever diverse way we wish to pursue it.
Good luck to all in the forthcoming season, no matter how you approach your barbel fishing. Just keep away from those spawning sections for the next month, so we can get a progression of years classes coming through for future seasons.