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Autumn wye barbel approach (this weekend! )

Jon Kennard

Jon Kennard

Senior Member
Hi guys I've fished for barbel a fair bit over time but not this time off year and after a bear 2 year lay off!!
I'm heading to wye lea this Saturday 29th Oct. To add to the pressure I'm taking my brom who is a newbie to coarse fishing. I've fished there 2 days before but so long ago. I wanted to ask how puerile would approach fishing it?
Conditions in my mind at least look pretty good with some extra water and mild temps.
Do you start with straight leads and cast trying to get a bite or two? Then move if nothing?
Or Is it more a case of baiting up and waiting for the fish to move onto the bait.
Cheers excited Jon
 
I'm no expert, but as it happens Saturday will be my own first day on the Wye for 3 or 4 years, so thought I'd join in the thread. We'll be taking local advice but as that local advice isn't arriving until after we've started fishing on Saturday, and as we arrive late on Friday and will probably have a chance to bait up then but not fish then, yes, definitely the bait up a couple of swims approach and definitely big feeders on Saturday morning until or unless anyone tells us otherwise. I imagine plenty of leaves coming down so maybe frequent casting of the feeder too?

But we're hoping to floatfish a fait bit too on Sat/Sun, depending on local advice again.

[edit - blimey - my Mrs has just told me who the local advice is - a real angling "superstar" has kindly stepped in to advise us, because the guide she had "won" in a charity auction can't make it]
 
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Thanks Graham hope you have an enjoyable and fishy weekend. Yes i would of float fished and feel like I've missed out on months of decent today fishing conditions. Plus with my brother a feeder/ lead approach would seem the way ahead. Extra water and colour thinking they should be grubbing around all being well.
 
I am no expert on the Wye but fished last week. Placed my friend in a deep swim, probably the deepest part of the river in that area and he had 4 barbel during the day on boilies. I roved around and fished 6 swims, all significantly shallower, faster swims, and only had x2 chub. So my advice is fish the deepest parts, especially if they also have tree cover.
 
Thanks Peter I'll bare that in mind. The swim i have fished previously actually produced a number of fish for me including a pb. I also lost 3-4 fish from memory 2 of which I could do nothing with. So guessing they'll be my first place to try. Again not in it enough but to me conditions are looking favourable. We shall see I'll report back. Just spending the day with my brother by the river will be special enough. Fish will be a bonus but a few fish each would be the icing on top.
 
Thanks cliff appreciate your honesty and simple advice. I know you fish the wye regularly with success. A little envious of your recent float fish session 😉 I'm not missing out next season. I've got sea bass on my door step but not the same. I'll report back thanks Jon
 
Derek Funcks said:
Jon, you could always P.M. our very own Graham Elliot, he,s very local to the area, and is probably the best person to ask. He is a top bloke, and always willing to help and offer advice. 👍
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Thanks Derek yes I've already sent him a text originally he gave me pike advice! I obviously wasn't clear. Still hoping I'll hear. I met him down there last time and he was really kind and helpful cheers Jon
 
I'd echo what Cliff said about simple pellet feeder tactics however don't discount meat. I've fished Wye Lea a lot over the years and this time of year fish pellet/groundbait feeder and move every hour if bites aren't forthcoming. Safe in the knowledge that as I've had a few casts in each swim I can return later in the day for another go knowing I've introduced a little bait earlier that might have got a few fish interested.

I've also switched to small cubes of meat on the hook on WL when pellet has failed and that's turned a quiet swim into a productive one.

Good Luck

Thanks

Lewis
 
Thanks Lewis meat will actually be my first hook bait most likely. Fishing with my bro so we will switch the baits around and see if anything is working better than others. Similar to when we fly fish together cheers Jon
 
How did you get on, Jon? Hope you managed some fishing before it started really rising on Saturday afternoon. We made the mistake of not starting till 9.30am, not realising how much the coming rise from the night's rain would affect us, but between then and 2pm we had 7 barbel and about nice 6 chub between the Mrs (Claire) in the best peg, and me. Then as the water rose in the afternoon, those swims were unfishable, so we moved and had 3 barbel and a chub between us between 3.30 and 7pm in another swim.

On Sunday morning, in another swim again, Claire had a golden hour with 3 nice barbel but I only had one chub all day. then the Sunday afternoon downpours meant the river rising even more rapidly and no bites at all. leaves a real problem and I just wish I'd moved Sunday pm to where I ended up on Monday am.

Monday morning nothing for me, though the valley where I was (another new swim where leaves were less of an issue) was at its most beautiful and full of life, grunting stages and screaming red kites, so I was just in heaven, and then I got a call to re-join Claire and photograph a lovely 9-11 upsteam for her. The only barbel either of us had but what a beautiful morning.

We packed up mid-day yesterday as we needed to get to Ross to have a wheel replaced before the drive home. Finished the weekend I think on 9 barbel for Claire, 5 for me (all my barbel on Saturday). Cheesy garlic pellets accounted for all Claire's fish, and it could be that those pellets stand out from the crowd in coloured water? She only had a small tub of that flavour so I never used any of those!

The fish were all pristine, and the majority were 8 pound something, only a couple were 5 or 6 pounds, better average weight on this private estate stretch than I've ever had on the Wye elsewhere.

Learned loads, full report follows in the Wye thread sometime before too long. Massive thanks to Martin Bowler and George the estate ghillie for their invaluable time, advice, generosity and hospitality. The fishing weekend of a lifetime.
 
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Graham Shaw said:
How did you get on, Jon? Hope you managed some fishing before it started really rising on Saturday afternoon.
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I feel stupid for writing that now, after reading your comment in the 'Red Lion' thread about how it had risen overnight where you were, 'cos if you were a lot further upstream the whole day must have been as difficult as ours was after 2pm. We were lucky with the timing that we got that first few golden hours on saturday, when we landed 75% of our weekend's fish in the first 20% of our fishing time.

Glad to read that your brother landed his first barbel though!

(PS and it was stags that were grunting. Not stages).
 
Graham no need to apologise at all thanks for asking. Yeah a tough day I spent 2 days there nearly 2 years ago. Never saw another angler and fished the end peg which is deeper and slower. However we got there in the dark to be greater by another 5 or so anglers that were quicker than me off the mark and got the most likely pegs. That said they also appeared to struggle saving one lad on the peg I wanted getting a good one just before dark. There was no where to get away from the conditions on that stretch. Hind sight I would of fished another stretch. Or traveled a lot lighter and dropped in likely spots and moved after 45 mins or so. Sounds like you had a excellent few days. Which stretch did you fish? If your allowed to say. The highlight was getting my brother his first barbel and being with him 😀. If only we'd give up in the week hey ho next time. Still lovely to be there loved the kingfisher and bat's at dusk
 
Jon Kennard said:
Which stretch did you fish? If your allowed to say.
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Private estate stretch where Drennan film their videos. Np public tickets, so we got very lucky. I was in dream-land because the best peg was the one where Peter Drennan filmed a video that was one of the first barbel videos I ever watched. Also where Martin Bowler filmed a recent one called "Wye do we fish?"
 
Ah that'll be right then. I'm sure ive watched that and others. A concrete peg scenario? Going to watch the wye do we fish. Not seen it yet. Glad you and your wife had a cracking few days
 
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