Barbel books

[David Traynor]

Hi there, I haven't as yet bought a very informative up to date barbel fishing book, but am looking to do so. Does anybody have any books that fit the description above for sale or if you have read a very good barbel book that you could recommend?

 

[Adrian Williams]

Funnily enough I have just bought a cracking book today in Wilkinsons. It's a first edition Quest for barbel by Tony Miles and Trefor West and cost me a donation to Marie Curie, I put a tenner in the bucket and the girl on the till looked at me as if I'd gone mad.
The book is a classic and although it was written in 1991 it is still completely relevant to the modern barbel scene and as it's a good few years since I first read it im looking forward to a few early nights this week to read it again.

Anyone want to buy a copy of the second edition? Signed by both authors, £30 ono +p&p

 

[Alex Gowney]

Barbel-A Lifetimes Addiction by Trefor West is a mine of very practical information and very well written too. It is more up to date than Quest for Barbel, though, as Adrian says, that is a classic and will be timeless. Trefors book has more info on modern baits and the different weather conditions we seem to experience these days.
One of the best barbel books to read though has to be Elite Barbel by Tony Miles.

 

[Richard Parsons]

Trefor West, I agree, is such an erudite writer who captures the very essence of barbel angling, and advocates relatively simple methods. If I believed half I read, barbel fishing might almost seem complicated. I've not read Adrian's recommendation, but A Lifetime's Addiction ticks all the boxes for me.

 

[Dave Taylor]

Funnily enough I have just bought a cracking book today in Wilkinsons. It's a first edition Quest for barbel by Tony Miles and Trefor West and cost me a donation to Marie Curie, I put a tenner in the bucket and the girl on the till looked at me as if I'd gone mad.
The book is a classic and although it was written in 1991 it is still completely relevant to the modern barbel scene and as it's a good few years since I first read it im looking forward to a few early nights this week to read it again.

Anyone want to buy a copy of the second edition? Signed by both authors, £30 ono +p&p

I agree with you Adrian, still completly relevant and a good read.
Another imformative book of the same era is John Wilson's 'Catch Barbel',from the Angling Times library by Boxtree, first published 1992. It even explains how to make and fit a line guard to a centerpin.
My favourite I think is 'Top Ten' by Beekay Publishers 1982.
It only contains one chapter about barbel by Roger Baker, and is really about his trips to the Hampshire Avon, which is why I like it so much I guess!
Interestingly though, Roger's PB at that time came from the Great Ouse,..a sign of things to come!
Reading this post makes me realise that maybe I should be on the lookout for a 'uptodate' publication!

 

[Andrew Boyne]

I agree with you Adrian, still completly relevant and a good read.
Another imformative book of the same era is John Wilson's 'Catch Barbel',from the Angling Times library by Boxtree, first published 1992. It even explains how to make and fit a line guard to a centerpin.

I would also recommend both those books, JW's Catch series are great books for the novice covering the essentials of each species. Not a lot has changed over the years, except bait. With most popular stretched getting hammered on pellets and boilies these days a switch back to the old bait/methods can often be very productive.

 

[Paul Deans]

"Practical Barbel Fishing" by Graham Marsden and Mark Wintle.

Lots of solid information for new starters and the experienced angler, tackle, location etc. Worth a punt if you can find a copy!

 

[Cliff Turner]

Another vote for Quest and Lifetime Addiction, both classics.

 

[Adrian Williams]

Barbel-A Lifetimes Addiction by Trefor West is a mine of very practical information and very well written too. It is more up to date than Quest for Barbel, though, as Adrian says, that is a classic and will be timeless. Trefors book has more info on modern baits and the different weather conditions we seem to experience these days.
One of the best barbel books to read though has to be Elite Barbel by Tony Miles.

That would have been my choice as a second book as it takes over where quest finishes.

Another good one is Fred Crouch, Understanding Barbel, when Fred wrote that book it was done as a book which would never date, I think he achieved that and much of what is written there is as relevant today as the day it was written.