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Confidence Boost

Darren C Smith

Darren C Smith

Active Member
Has anyone got any confidence inducing nuggets of wisdom they could possibly share with me ?i have been trying to catch my first barbel for sometime now ,but with so many techniques , baits etc i find myself constantly chopping and changing tactics ! Im not looking for a "quick fix" or giant fish , just some confidence in what im doing ! i have recently become a member of ringwood ac and any confidence boosting tips would be greatly appreciated ?
 
recently started barbel fishing myself mate.I just picked as many peoples brain on here who fish the same river(cracking lads and really helpful i might add).Then stick to the advice given,be positive and remain patient.
 
Keep it as simple as you can Darren. Over complicating things can have the opposite effect! Stick to a bait that u know will work (you can't go far wrong with pellets) but try have a chat with other anglers on your stretch. I think it's very important to have a possertive attitude and believe that you are going to catch. Look at it like the longer you have gone without a bite, the closer your getting to one! I've gone 4 sessions without a bite now, must be due one soon!! Most importantly, enjoy being there, catchings just a bonus. Tight lines, it'll be well worth it when you get one
 
Keep your rigs simple and make sure all your knots are tyed well. A simple running rig is ok and safer than a bolt rig.Then pick a couple of baits to try, some pellets of various sizes, and some meat for coloured water, then its down to location, and at times alot of patience.
 
Hi men,

All the above , but importantly choose the right water , no good struggling on a tricky bit .


Hatter
 
Got to agree with everything said here, but especially Marks comments, go for the easiest stretch you can find, because it's very hard to learn how to catch a Barbel until you actually start to catch them ;) then you can start to build on your experiences, and experiment with different baits, and techniques, if you pick a hard stretch of water where even experienced anglers regularly blank, you have nothing to gauge your methods by, no foundation to build on.
Patience is your biggest asset Darren. ;)
 
Ian Grant said:
Got to agree with everything said here, but especially Marks comments, go for the easiest stretch you can find, because it's very hard to learn how to catch a Barbel until you actually start to catch them ;) then you can start to build on your experiences, and experiment with different baits, and techniques, if you pick a hard stretch of water where even experienced anglers regularly blank, you have nothing to gauge your methods by, no foundation to build on.
Patience is your biggest asset Darren. ;)
Click to expand...


Well put Ian.

Regards

Hugo



 
Some very good advice above. For a Ringwood member after their first barbel then forget Throop, and the Severals and concentrate on the Royalty.
 
Hello I spent some time fishing the upper thames ...it's not easy, fish a river with plenty of them in there first as mentioned previously and get the heads up from local tackle shops and anglers.

The Wye is a good place to start if it isn't too far.
 
Darren
A lot of good advice so far.

Simple is good, keep it as simple as possible.

Fish the easy sections AND there is always a swim that is “The Flyerâ€, try and fish that as much as possible.

Arrive early, be there an hour before first light or a good hour before twilight, they often give themselves away by showing, that gives you a location and rolling fish are using energy so they will be feeding at some point.

Keep an eye on the weather, several days of steady cold temps followed by a slight rise, even 2 degrees can trigger a short feeding spell.
A period of colder weather where the temps rise and fall a fair bit between day and night which are followed by a distinct milder spell, will often trigger feeding, but in that case chances are probably better on the second day of mild weather.

If it rains and the river comes up drop everything and get to the river pronto!

Be careful about your choice of bait, I would avoid high protein, oily baits, bait that has strong smell and pellets in favour of low smell easily digestible bait.
I favour Maggots far more in winter than any other bait, they are easy to digest, Barbel know exactly what they are and they will often “graze†on a few maggots when they will not accept a larger bait.
For me, in winter, less is more, for example, if I were using Luncheon meat I often deliberately “wash out†the bait in water for several hours before I go fishing, Barbel’s sense of smell is far more sensitive than ours is so don’t overload them, as a mate of mine once said “You won’t pull a bird by shouting in her ear, but you might if you whisper the right thing!â€

Lastly, Barbel can be quite reserved in winter, not every bite is a “slammer†so hold your rod and feel for the bites, often striking at a lengthier pluck will result in success.

And don’t give up!

Tight lines.
 
An amazing response ! Thanks to everyone for taking the time to give me some great pointers and encouragement ,its much appreciated ! It appears i may have been spending too much time fishing throop and severals ! (strangely The Royalty is the one stretch i havnt fished yet ? ) and i shall definately keep it simple !
Cheers
Darren
 
Excellent advice Darren, keep everything has simple has you can, most of all enjoy every minute on the bank and you will learn something every time;) never make going fishing a chore:eek: or you wont fish at your best;)
 
If you are thinking of fishing on the Royalty then talk to the guy's in the shop they are always very helpful and will always give you sound advise.

Keep it simple, use a quality bait and stick with it.
 
If you do really want to 'just catch a Barbel'....................fill up the motor, grab a couple of friends and take a trip to The Wye or Middle Severn............

If you want to catch from your neck of the woods, the The Royalty is your best bet ! BUT these fish have seen EVERYTHING !

Failing that, go Chub fishing....................That's when the Barbel normally turn up :p

In all seriousness, you are in a tough area, try the local shops, look at what the locals do..................and try something different...................Try a baiting/fishing campaign......................Quality bait, well applied WILL catch !

Regards,

Paul M.
 
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