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Barbel virgin !! please help me

M

Mark Edwards

New Member
hi all

after fishing for 15 years mainly for carp and pike i've finally decided to do some real fishing and target barbel i've joined my local angling club which has stretches on the tees and swale with a good head of barbel

iv got as much info as i can off the net and fishing programmes but id like some real advice off some real anglers, so if you were to go barbel fishing for the 1st time again what things would you highly reccomend as in , bait tactics, hooklinks and hooklengths and how would u go about pickin and feeding a swim

all help will be much appreciated

and is anyone else getting exited for the 16th or is it just me ??
 
Hi Mark and welcome! I could give you some basic advice mate but will wait until some more experienced rods tune in.Good luck mate
 
Hi Mark.....and welcome to BFW :)

The forums (as well as river report threads) are an excellent source of (mainly) good information. You might try posting the question on the Tees or Swale thread. Otherwise, my first session fishing for barbel was a real hit/miss affair, though I think I caught a fish on my third outing. That started a love (for want of a better word) affair with barbel that continues three seasons (and a good many blank sessions) later. I can't wait for the 16th either.

If I were you, I'd use a rod with a 1.5lb test curve, or more depending on conditions, flow of river, etc; a 4000 size reel; 10lb mono as mainline, and a mono/fluorocarbon/braid hook link (up to 3/4 ft if you want to get your bait into snaggy areas without getting snagged (though the inevitable often happens); size 8 or 10 hook and a halibut pellet on a hair (10/16mm); use an open-ended feeder and fill with slightly damp 3mm halibut pellets mixed with hemp, or pva bag with pellets. Find a suitable swim...and away you go. With net and unhooking mat at the ready, you may well catch. I often switch between a fixed lead and sliding lead. Use whatever suits the river/conditions.

You'll refine the above as you catch and gain in confidence/experience. Also, they're only guidelines and I'm not the most experience barbel angler on the planet, but the tactics have worked for me in the past, as still do, though I often use boilies nowadays.

Good luck and let us know if you catch.....but don't despondent if you don't catch first time.
 
As Dean says mate, keep it simple................ cant go wrong.

Walk your river on a sunny day when the river is running clear and look for where the barbel are, you will after time see them, once you see one you will see more. Once you start to see them it will give you a bit of confidence.

When you start to fish for barbel choose a good quality bait and stick with it, don't chop and change, if it is a quality bait the barbel will usually home in on it.

Usually if a swim feels right it is, but there is always exceptions to the rules:D:D:D
 
Travel light...be quiet, get some polaroid glasses.
Ask in the respective river threads as different rivers require differing tactics...but the basics of being quiet, moving from swim to swim to find the fish are pretty much universal.
 
Since i began testing my knots at home on a set of scales, i lose far less fish knowing how much pressure i can put on the line.This gives me more confidence playing fish in tight swims.
 
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