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Being lost!

Clive Shipman

Clive Shipman

Senior Member & Supporter
Sometimes I often feel there is something missing when I am trudging the banks with my barbel rods and it took a chance trip with a mate to finally find out where I had been going wrong.
I have been back fishing for about seven years after being a keen angler when young and followed my brother Rich into the barbel scene in which I became totally enveloped. But recently the feeling of been there and done that started to become prevalent and I realized that I needed some other fishing challenges.
It took off with a trip to the Hampshire Avon greyling fishing with Paul Matthews which I absolutely loved, so I decided to up the anti and get some time spent float fishing. Today I have been on my local stretch with my new float rod and had a cracking day with 7 chub to 5lb 4 dace and a roach all on float fished bread on my own home made floats or freelined crust just like the fishing I enjoyed as a child smashing, cheers Paul.

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Nice going Clive... its always good to try something we don't usually do, gives us that feeling of excitement from years past. Proves we shouldnt just take it all for granted.
 
There's definitely more to fishing than just barbelling. I do love it but there are alternatives to banging my head against a brick wall in poor conditions. It puzzles me how some on here dismiss big chub and bream as nuisance fish when fishing for barbel. I'd be chuffed to bits with either. I'm happy as Larry fishing for perch on a local pit, in the hope of catching the better ones amongst them or anything else that happens to come along. I'd love to get stuck into some of the lovely tench and crucians that have been posted on here recently that have made me green with envy. I'll turn my hand to a bit of (noddyish) carping and I'm reasonably proficient with pole/whip. As long as my tip, bobbin or float moves with reasonable regularity and there's a chance of something bigger than average, I'm well happy.;)
 
as they say a change is as good as a rest ,and its no fun being a one trick pony ,by opening up your fishing and becoming more of a all rounder ,all your fishing will improve as little bits and pieces cross over between disaplines .and just fishing without the self imposed pressure of catching a decent barbel or bust .even carp can be fun on the float & pin ,this little one just a diversionary plaything on a commercial fishery me amongst a great row of gnomes with long poles fishing a lift method on me float rod

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float fishing on rivers is simply all engulfing and before you realise it the day has flown by ,possibly one of the best ways too waste a few hours by a river ,its relaxing and exciting at the same time and somtimes infuriating & fustrating but once that float slips a under and the game is on & your centrepin sings theres not much too better it .
 
I didnt want to mention the shades myself, resembles something huggy bear would wear in starsky & hutch, come to think of it steve there is a resemblence apart from skin colour :)
 
Clive Shipman said:
Sometimes I often feel there is something missing when I am trudging the banks with my barbel rods and it took a chance trip with a mate to finally find out where I had been going wrong.
I have been back fishing for about seven years after being a keen angler when young and followed my brother Rich into the barbel scene in which I became totally enveloped. But recently the feeling of been there and done that started to become prevalent and I realized that I needed some other fishing challenges.
It took off with a trip to the Hampshire Avon greyling fishing with Paul Matthews which I absolutely loved, so I decided to up the anti and get some time spent float fishing. Today I have been on my local stretch with my new float rod and had a cracking day with 7 chub to 5lb 4 dace and a roach all on float fished bread on my own home made floats or freelined crust just like the fishing I enjoyed as a child smashing, cheers Paul.

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Clive,

It's great to see that you are willing to move away from the barbel clone image and rediscover the delights of trotting a float. However, if I may play devils advocate for a minute, can I ask what happened to the unhooking mat?

Tbh I really don't have a problem with anyone laying average sized fish on nice soft grass to unhook them, in fact I think it is preferable to the practice I have often seen of sticking them straight onto a dry mat which has been sat in the sun for several hours, but I know that had those fish been barbel instead of chub the barbel police would have been all over you and this thread like a rash and instead of accepting congratulations for stepping outside of the barbel box you would now be spending the next few days defending the fact that you chose nice cool soft grass to lay your prize on instead of hot plastic.
 
the whole purpose of a mat is to stop a fish having damage caused it, it's common sense that soft grass is as good as one or even better.
 
Barbel Chub Carp Perch, whatever I catch I use my common sense. Grass unhooking mat, again whatever as long as the fish goes back unharmed and rested. I have never been one to let people tell me what is wrong or right but prefer to make a common sense decision myself.
Regards Clive
 
Good post, nice thread................... barbel fishing is not the be all and end all.

Well done chaps.
 
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