All night fishing for Barbel , is it worth it ?

[Chris Jones]

It's a rare occurrence for me to do a full night for barbel. Where the northern spate rivers are concerned, I don't think it's particularly safe to bivvy up and sleep all night and it kills me to try and stay awake all night then drive home. Water on the Swale that you are actually allowed to stay all night is also a little thin on the ground. On top of all that, I've rarely had much success between midnight and four or five in the morning anyway. Might be a different story on other rivers.

 

[Darryl Davis]

I have done all nighters on a few rivers, but never "carp tactics" ie bivvied up with bedchair - I leave that to when I carp fish. Just personal preference.
Would never bivvy up on a Yorkshire river as Chris mentions - they tend to be spate rivers. The last few seasons, it is fairly rare I fish beyond three hours after dark but occassionally I turn up at 9pm and fish to one hour after dawn. I have had some remarkable catches doing so (5 fish from the Derwent) but also noted many rivers turn very slow five hours after sunset until 1 hour before dawn.
Also it is usually a good drive home at 3am with just a few lorries and a few other fisherman along the roads - extra strong coffee brewed prior to the journey and no morning work the day after!!

 

[Alex Gowney]

I think night fishing is really as much about whether you enjoy it as about how productive it is. Some feel if they catch fish in the day there is no need to night fish but I generally prefer to fish at night, irrespective of how well the daylight hours fish. Of course it's only viable if there's no work next day but in the winters short days a lot of after dark fishing gives a few more hours on the bank

 

[Guy Spence]

I quite like the fishing into dark thing. In the summer on the Lower Thames it gives me the space I can't find on the water in the day, and despite the Carp boys and their festival tent encampments - most evenings I want to fish I can find a nice quiet spot.

As for success - well I agree with a lot of the comments already. But in the swims I am fishing I tend to find three hours after dark is the limit of barbel productivity - then I find that the head of Bream and Carp will dominate a swim (especially if you put too much bait in and stay put).

I do try to keep mobile and that keeps the night kit down! Fishing 2 - 3 swims a night I know well in the summer months, and shorter stints in 3 - 5 swims in the winter months when I like to keep moving.

 

[David Gauntlett]

I do try to keep mobile and that keeps the night kit down! Fishing 2 - 3 swims a night I know well in the summer months, and shorter stints in 3 - 5 swims in the winter months when I like to keep moving.

Hi Guy,

Sounds like your piles play you up as badly as mine play me up then mate

Cheers, Dave,

 

[David Hall]

Hi Guy,

Sounds like your piles play you up as badly as mine play me up then mate

Cheers, Dave,

piles, ouch.

 

[Mark de Lancey]

I found like Matthew bites seem to taper off at 11ish l did alot of evening early night fishing on the tees found it hard going through the day unless it was cloudy got more chance then...
Always try to fish into the first two hours of dark seems to be the witching hour just as ye put ye isotope on...also bites are more positive !!
At the moment cant seem to get a bite either day or evening..maybe electro fishings a option..lol

or dynamite?