Barbel Behaviour

[Ian Sewter]

On my latest session I noticed a couple of patterns of barbel behaviour that could have implications for some of us to enjoy a more successful season. I was fishing a narrow, 3ft deep, medium paced river. Note barbel in other venues may not exhibit this behaviour.

Firstly, the tendency of barbel to respond to a new cast in the same spot as a bait which has lain on the bottom for a while but has been untouched. Around 50% of my barbel were caught within seconds of a fresh cast and sometimes before I could even put the rod in the rests! I think the main reason is the splash of the feeder and also the explosion of new feed items (like pellet waggler for carp). I do appreciate some barbel spook off splashes but these did not! So in the future I will make more casts when appropriate.

Secondly, the tendency of barbel (and bigger ones!) to swim in close – sometimes to pick up fallen bait. I took off the feeder and fished 5ft out with the rod at an angle to reduce the length of the rod tip from the bank to land the 2 largest fish – a high 9 and a low 8. So in future I will look more in the edge to take advantage of any opportunities.

K-e-e-e-p Catching!

 

[Richard Isaacs]

Great write up Ian.
always nice to read real experiences from visually seeing what they are doing.

 

[Tim Lawrence]

I find fish behaviour really interesting. I was fishing last Friday and found a shallow section that contained a shoal of around four bream, as my eyes adjusted I saw a few lone chub and a couple of carp every now and then. No barbel though sadly, but the thing that surprised me that I’ve never witnessed before, was when the three chub charged at the bream! It happened a couple of times, and looked like they didn’t want the bream in their patch. Could have been where the chub had been spawning perhaps?

 

[Terry Harman]

On my latest session I noticed a couple of patterns of barbel behaviour that could have implications for some of us to enjoy a more successful season. I was fishing a narrow, 3ft deep, medium paced river. Note barbel in other venues may not exhibit this behaviour.

Firstly, the tendency of barbel to respond to a new cast in the same spot as a bait which has lain on the bottom for a while but has been untouched. Around 50% of my barbel were caught within seconds of a fresh cast and sometimes before I could even put the rod in the rests! I think the main reason is the splash of the feeder and also the explosion of new feed items (like pellet waggler for carp). I do appreciate some barbel spook off splashes but these did not! So in the future I will make more casts when appropriate.

Secondly, the tendency of barbel (and bigger ones!) to swim in close – sometimes to pick up fallen bait. I took off the feeder and fished 5ft out with the rod at an angle to reduce the length of the rod tip from the bank to land the 2 largest fish – a high 9 and a low 8. So in future I will look more in the edge to take advantage of any opportunities.

K-e-e-e-p Catching!

agree with some of your observations ian .. when fishing the upper lea the bigger fish always fed close in... i was catching fish literally no more than a foot from the bank .. sat right back in the swim with 6 inches of rod tip protruding over the bank ... i was actually watching them pick the bait up also watched barbel that would only pick a bait up just on the silt line avoiding baits on clear gravel..... you can learn so much from observing fish

 

[Ian Lovett]

On my latest session I noticed a couple of patterns of barbel behaviour that could have implications for some of us to enjoy a more successful season. I was fishing a narrow, 3ft deep, medium paced river. Note barbel in other venues may not exhibit this behaviour.

Firstly, the tendency of barbel to respond to a new cast in the same spot as a bait which has lain on the bottom for a while but has been untouched. Around 50% of my barbel were caught within seconds of a fresh cast and sometimes before I could even put the rod in the rests! I think the main reason is the splash of the feeder and also the explosion of new feed items (like pellet waggler for carp). I do appreciate some barbel spook off splashes but these did not! So in the future I will make more casts when appropriate.

Secondly, the tendency of barbel (and bigger ones!) to swim in close – sometimes to pick up fallen bait. I took off the feeder and fished 5ft out with the rod at an angle to reduce the length of the rod tip from the bank to land the 2 largest fish – a high 9 and a low 8. So in future I will look more in the edge to take advantage of any opportunities.

K-e-e-e-p Catching!

I've noticed some similar barbel behaviour on a big river (the Trent). Regular casting with a feeder (or even a bomb in winter) can often get instant bites. Is this because of the introduction of free bait or is it the moving/ falling hook bait. I have also witnessed large fish being caught close in. Not done it myself but it is in my "to do" list for this season.

I'm going to do some float fishing also to test the regular feeding/ moving/ falling hook bait theory. An old friend of mine always said I would catch more barbel on the float. The only thing is I'm not too interested in catching more, I just want to catch bigger!

 

[Ian Sewter]

I've noticed some similar barbel behaviour on a big river (the Trent). Regular casting with a feeder (or even a bomb in winter) can often get instant bites. Is this because of the introduction of free bait or is it the moving/ falling hook bait. I have also witnessed large fish being caught close in. Not done it myself but it is in my "to do" list for this season.

I'm going to do some float fishing also to test the regular feeding/ moving/ falling hook bait theory. An old friend of mine always said I would catch more barbel on the float. The only thing is I'm not too interested in catching more, I just want to catch bigger!

Latest session seems to answer some questions. I had already introduced some bait through the feeder but then all the bait fell out of the feeder on the cast a couple of times and it landed empty - yet I hooked a couple of barbel before I could even put the rod in the rests (or wind in the empty feeder)! So they were definitely coming to the splash rather than the feed - although probably excited by previous feed and ready to grab the next item!

The moving / falling bait is definitely worth a try. I know its a different species but I have caught countless carp on a jigger float where the line flows through the float vertically from 12 inches deep to a fixed depth with the bait falling slowly through the water column. The carp took the falling bait when a shallow stationery bait was ignored. Pellet waggler, pole slapping, water pouring from pole cup and float/bait slapping are other splash attractors although not necessarily transferable to barbel fishing! Float fishing shallow on the Wye has produced many barbel in swims where static ledgered baits have remained untouched.

Later in the session I had the biggest barbel (8.07) 5 feet from the bank. Then because I had not had a bite on the bottom of a 3 feet deep swim further out for 30 minutes I decided on a re-cast with a feeder to induce a bite. Before the rod was in the rest a barbel took the falling bait. Result - 10.04!

K-E-E-P CATCHING!

 

[Michael Weir]

Interesting, the fish being close in. The other day, whilst I was fishing. Retrieving my maggot feeder. I disturbed something just over a rod length out. Seemed quite big, judging by the swirl. I thought pike. But maybe it was a fish feeding on the maggot n hemp that falls out as I prepare to cast. Later on I had a cast catch a tree behind me. Only cast halfway, so decided to retrieve it. Hooked was gone. As it got to the same spot something moved in on it. Feeder still had plenty of bait loaded. Again I thought pike, maybe not though. This was no more than 12 to 18 inches of water. Planning on going Thursday. Might just drop a lead close in and see.

 

[David Craine]

Lots to be said for fishing close in, I have posted this before, but cannot find it ….a few years ago I was fishing the Ribble, and due to the proximity of bankside vegitation and the fairly steep bank, I was casting underarm to a feature, as dusk approached it had contrary to my expectations become very quiet, with little interest being shown in the baits, I was using an open ended feeder packed with goodies, and when casting ,a few morsels from the feeder had occasionally fallen just in front of me when casting.
I packed the feeder, and as described , swung the rig out toward the feature, but managed to just catch either the feeder or hookbait on a bit of protruding grass in front of me, the feeder and hookbait hit the water no more than probably a foot from the bank in front of me , I was just muttering under my breath as I retrieved the loose line when the rod was yanked down and a fesity two pound Barbel made off after grabbing the hookbait . It had possibly moved in onto the morsels that had been falling throughout the day and this time taken the bait .
As I had been fishing that swim for a few hours and occasionally netting a fish , I did wonder had that small Barbel been there all the time, as it was “caught” from right where I had been disturbing the water with the landing net previously.
Was it a learned habit, the fish feeding close in , when anglers had disposed of remaining bait at the end of a session, or was it just a coincidence ? The timing could have had something to do with it, as many anglers leave as dusk approaches .

Whatever the case, it did prove to me that it never pays to ignore areas that you would normally overlook, who knows what may be lurking there.

David.