Hi Andy
I struggle to catch Barbel from this river in daylight during the Summer, however after dark and when Autumn comes (more rain and flow), things get much easier for me.
For what it is worth, this is how I tackled the Barbel in this river. Picked a stretch that was within the known Barbel holding bit of the river, but required a bit of a walk to get there. Very rare for me to run into another angler here. Ignored all I had heard about swims, and started from scratch. Went back to how I used to search for winter Chub. Start at the top of the stretch baiting the first four swims I fancy. Back to the first swim, half hour tops, if the tip doesn't move I do. And so on. Now I fish the swims from which I have caught, but always try at least one new one, or old discarded swim, every trip. Found a right cracker like that a couple of years ago.
Last season had a right bit of luck. Went for an even more remote stretch. First cast caught a Barbel within twenty seconds, caught well throughout the Autumn. Eventually ran into an angler I knew. Turned out he had been visiting the stretch 3 or 4 times a week, and pre-baiting with the same bait I was using. Thanked him for all his hard work.
The other thing is expectations. A Barbel is a good session, and more than that is a red letter day.
Shaun
