Flood water fishing

[Mark Evans 2]

Hi guys,

In the past, once the rivers have gone over the banks that usually means I'm done for another year. But I went out yesterday on the Warwickshire Avon and despite not catching I had the most pleasant mornings fishing I've had in a while. This was most likely down to only taking the bare minimum kit in small rucksack, 1 rod, net and rest.

I was fishing any slacks I could find, 2oz lead was more than enough. I put a large lump of The Source flavoured meat on a size 6, big enough of a lump that I could have probably gone to a size 4.

Now, to get my confidence up in single hook baits, is that enough? I wasn't loose feeding and just fishing the single piece of meat, will they find it if any chub or barbel were there?

Do you fish the meat on the hook or still hair rig it? I was worried a bare hook would catch on too much debris on the bottom if I used a hair.

And how long would you give each spot? I was giving it a least 30-45 mins.

I think the main thing is just getting confidence in fishing single hook baits and that the fish will find it.

 

[Lewis Baldwin]

Morning Mark,

I'd say you've pretty much got it spot on. That approach and feeding fish will see you catch for sure.

Don't be afraid to put a bigger lead on at times and anchor the bait in the main flow.....on occasions they'll happily sit there and feed, just look for smooth, walking pace water

Thanks

Lewis

 

[Gavin Burt]

I did pretty much the same yesterday afternoon, again on the Warks Avon.

Haired-rigged, large piece of meat with a size 6 hook. No loose feed at all and fished a rodlength out in the slack water.

I covered x8 swims in just under 2-hours. If I hadn’t caught within 5-mins I moved swims. Great way of fishing, just don’t take a chair else you’ll get too comfy.

I blanked, but will go out again today and hopefully Weds.

 

[Chris Belcher]

Double glugged Boilie / Paste wrapped Boilie or Pellet vs Meat - discuss!

I'm always 'noid with meat in a heavy flow (especially on a hair) in terms of losing the hookbait without realising so I generally wrap a large punched sausage in Arma Mesh . . . but usually prefer a hard boilie and paste for sanity

 

[Lewis Baldwin]

Gavin/Mark,

Looks like the 3 of us fished the same river, at the same time with same method in 3 different areas and all blanked on Monday

 

[Mark Evans 2]

No, no chair, and all I took was a small 15-20L walking rucksack to put the bare minimum of kit in. I think I usually travel light anyway but yesterday was a breath of fresh air not having any extras or anything to weigh me down.

I was at Barton on the W.Avon and I find this stretch tough anyway so I wasn't expecting to catch (I've never actually had a barbel from this venue) but I had the day off abd it was dry weather so took advantage.

I'll continue with the meat approach or even single paste wrapped boilie cause I did have some meat out for 20mins or so and when I reeled in it was gone so not sure how long I had it out with a bare hook. I dug out my Guru 1.75 Duel tip, I blame the rod, if I had kept the FS Barbel tamer I'd have clearly caught with the correctly named rod

 

[Cliff Turner]

id still favour pellet with this approach and I think 15-20 mins per swim is ample, assuming you have plenty of swims to explore.

 

[Gavin Burt]

Gavin/Mark,

Looks like the 3 of us fished the same river, at the same time with same method in 3 different areas and all blanked on Monday

Hahaha. Very good.

Somewhere on the WA there is a meadow with about x100 Barbel all huddled together

 

[Barry Peck]

Hi guys,

In the past, once the rivers have gone over the banks that usually means I'm done for another year. But I went out yesterday on the Warwickshire Avon and despite not catching I had the most pleasant mornings fishing I've had in a while. This was most likely down to only taking the bare minimum kit in small rucksack, 1 rod, net and rest.

I was fishing any slacks I could find, 2oz lead was more than enough. I put a large lump of The Source flavoured meat on a size 6, big enough of a lump that I could have probably gone to a size 4.

Now, to get my confidence up in single hook baits, is that enough? I wasn't loose feeding and just fishing the single piece of meat, will they find it if any chub or barbel were there?

Do you fish the meat on the hook or still hair rig it? I was worried a bare hook would catch on too much debris on the bottom if I used a hair.

And how long would you give each spot? I was giving it a least 30-45 mins.

I think the main thing is just getting confidence in fishing single hook baits and that the fish will find it.

Hi guys,

In the past, once the rivers have gone over the banks that usually means I'm done for another year. But I went out yesterday on the Warwickshire Avon and despite not catching I had the most pleasant mornings fishing I've had in a while. This was most likely down to only taking the bare minimum kit in small rucksack, 1 rod, net and rest.

I was fishing any slacks I could find, 2oz lead was more than enough. I put a large lump of The Source flavoured meat on a size 6, big enough of a lump that I could have probably gone to a size 4.

Now, to get my confidence up in single hook baits, is that enough? I wasn't loose feeding and just fishing the single piece of meat, will they find it if any chub or barbel were there?

Do you fish the meat on the hook or still hair rig it? I was worried a bare hook would catch on too much debris on the bottom if I used a hair.

And how long would you give each spot? I was giving it a least 30-45 mins.

I think the main thing is just getting confidence in fishing single hook baits and that the fish will find it.

Trust in single baits mate . If you think of it along the lines of fish being opportunists . In nature they are scavenging along the bottom and taking what's on offer . That means anything they come along .

Also don't hang up your rods until June as you are missing out on some good angling and barbel at their fittest and fatest ...

 

[Alex Dalton]

Take the rods sea fishing instead until the banks are a lot safer when the riverwater is piling through like a train carrying all sorts of crap. Some great fish to be caught when the rivers are completely out of sorts

 

[Craig Lea]

hello mark

when i fish big lumps of meat i squeeze paste into the gripper lead.
has caught me a few . i still hair the meat on a bait spring ( opened up a bit for a bigger chunk of meat)
on the wye last weekend i had to use a 5oz gripper, bought t caught fish .

 

[Gavin Burt]

Trust in single baits mate . If you think of it along the lines of fish being opportunists . In nature they are scavenging along the bottom and taking what's on offer . That means anything they come along .

Also don't hang up your rods until June as you are missing out on some good angling and barbel at their fittest and fatest ...

IMO it’s the best time of year to fish, mainly as no one is on the riverbank (how I like it) and you can have pick of the swims.

 

[Barry Peck]

Take the rods sea fishing instead until the banks are a lot safer when the riverwater is piling through like a train carrying all sorts of crap. Some great fish to be caught when the rivers are completely out of sortsView attachment 36936

Bit of trek from the west mids

 

[Barry Peck]

hello mark

when i fish big lumps of meat i squeeze paste into the gripper lead.
has caught me a few . i still hair the meat on a bait spring ( opened up a bit for a bigger chunk of meat)
on the wye last weekend i had to use a 5oz gripper, bought t caught fish .

I always put paste around my bait and in the gripper Craig .. proper scent trail from it

 

[Jim Brook]

The main advantage of using large pieces of meat “Campbell’s meatballs” in my case is that I can bury the hook within the meat preventing the hook from fouling up so easily as I’m fishing right in the edge in what would normally be inches rather than feet deep under normal conditions but in flood conditions there’s sufficient depth 6ft and more and calmer flow I look for a flow rate as close as possible to what I would catch in under normal conditions further out, upping my lead from 1.5oz up to 3oz mainly to stop the extra crud leaves etc from moving the lead into the brambles and snags right in n the edge, it’s not for everyone but it’s my favourite way of catching barbel flood fishing really gets the adrenaline pumping!

 

[Neil Smart]

Take the rods sea fishing instead until the banks are a lot safer when the riverwater is piling through like a train carrying all sorts of crap. Some great fish to be caught when the rivers are completely out of sortsView attachment 36936

I would but being the furthest I haver ever lived from the coast... Used to wander down through the Chimes at Westbourne, fish for Mullet on the Itchen living in Hedge End, Bournemouth when it err was Bournemouth and not resembling Beirut, plus Torquay and Southampton.
Then work took me to Swindon and have been inching north ever since, but Birmingham wiĺl be a step.too far I fear.

 

[Neil Smart]

No, no chair, and all I took was a small 15-20L walking rucksack to put the bare minimum of kit in. I think I usually travel light anyway but yesterday was a

breath of fresh air not having any extras or anything to weigh me down.

I was at Barton on the W.Avon and I find this stretch tough anyway so I wasn't expecting to catch (I've never actually had a barbel from this venue) but I had the day off abd it was dry weather so took advantage.

I'll continue with the meat approach or even single paste wrapped boilie cause I did have some meat out for 20mins or so and when I reeled in it was gone so not sure how long I had it out with a bare hook. I dug out my Guru 1.75 Duel tip, I blame the rod, if I had kept the FS Barbel tamer I'd have clearly caught with the correctly named rod

Certainly agree with you in travelling light, even take a folding stool rather than a chair.
The sudden drop in temperatures has made it difficult, I am itching to get out possibly with Chub in mind when the colour drops out s bit.
Wife got me some blue cheese which I will blend with some crumb, also some garlic meat (Dynamite) might do the trick.

Agree just blanking lifts the soul, something special about this time of year, stretches to yourself, boats rare and those pesky paddling things.
Been watching vids on small lures for Perch, which keeps you on the move and light and easy fishing. Don't own a light lure rod...yet.