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If You Could Offer One Tip...

Cliff Turner said:
Agree, ring the changes and for me moving swim is the best one.
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Sometimes I move sometimes I don’t. It’s a double edged sword though at times cause I really hate when you move and still blank when you’ve started in a peg that you feel will do a bite at some point. On the other hand if you stay put and blank you kick yourself for not moving
 
Dave Brooksbank said:
Exactly..
That's why I stay plotted up.
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I’m more likely to move in the summer than winter when in my experience you’re fishing for one bite unless conditions are great. It took me a long time to find a couple of pegs that throw up nice fish this time of year so I’m quite happy to sit and wait for that one bite. Plus I’m normally carrying more stuff like brolly and flask and extra jumper so just more of a ball ache to move carrying all that extra weight.
But yeah I’d say it annoys me more when I move and blank than when I stay put and blank
 
I’m interested to know what the guys who fish the lower Severn do regarding moving or staying put. Other than the odd occasion I only started fishing down there last season when the fishing was dire anyway and this season I started doing afternoon into night sessions and probably done about 30 sessions for 7 barbel. The first fish I had about half hour earlier I lost one at the net but all the others I caught around sunset or an hour or so after and not a touch after and always thought that I should have moved after catching one. But all the times I moved about pegs as I wasn’t getting any bites I ended up without hardly a touch in any peg I tried making me question whether I should of sat it out in a peg.
It’s a different world from fishing the middle where there’s some stretches I know that if you didn’t catch 3 or 4 in a few hours you’re probably doing something wrong
 
Jon Young said:
I’m more likely to move in the summer than winter when in my experience you’re fishing for one bite unless conditions are great. It took me a long time to find a couple of pegs that throw up nice fish this time of year so I’m quite happy to sit and wait for that one bite. Plus I’m normally carrying more stuff like brolly and flask and extra jumper so just more of a ball ache to move carrying all that extra weight.
But yeah I’d say it annoys me more when I move and blank than when I stay put and blank
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Interestingly I'm exactly the opposite.
The fish move around more freely in the summer looking for food. In the winter they are much less mobile IMO. I always feel I have a better chance going looking for them.
 
Jon Young said:
I’m interested to know what the guys who fish the lower Severn do regarding moving or staying put. Other than the odd occasion I only started fishing down there last season when the fishing was dire anyway and this season I started doing afternoon into night sessions and probably done about 30 sessions for 7 barbel. The first fish I had about half hour earlier I lost one at the net but all the others I caught around sunset or an hour or so after and not a touch after and always thought that I should have moved after catching one. But all the times I moved about pegs as I wasn’t getting any bites I ended up without hardly a touch in any peg I tried making me question whether I should of sat it out in a peg.
It’s a different world from fishing the middle where there’s some stretches I know that if you didn’t catch 3 or 4 in a few hours you’re probably doing something wrong
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In the winter because Barbel do not move around so much you need to place a bait close to get a reaction so I cast around to different areas in the swim to try to find one, if no bites after an hour move to another swim and repeat. Using the lightest lead you can get away with to just hold in the flow also works as you can keep the bait moving down the swim by just raising the rod tip. In very high water conditions such as today with 5 metres on at Kempsey I just drop the baits close into the edge.
 
Steven Hodges said:
In the winter because Barbel do not move around so much you need to place a bait close to get a reaction so I cast around to different areas in the swim to try to find one, if no bites after an hour move to another swim and repeat. Using the lightest lead you can get away with to just hold in the flow also works as you can keep the bait moving down the swim by just raising the rod tip. In very high water conditions such as today with 5 metres on at Kempsey I just drop the baits close into the edge.
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What steve said
 
Barbel love the day time, but what they hate is anglers casting on top of their heads . They also hate fishing line and their reaction to bait when fishing line is introduced can change dramatically. They are also eating machines and will travel all over the river, even in the middle of the day, looking for food. So don’t throw lots of bait all over the river, keep it consistent to one area.

A change of bait is good and even a cagey barbel finds a humble maggot or two too hard to resist.

Don’t be afraid of moving, when areas of river are hammered, barbel become extremely cagey and some times even the most perfectly presented rig with the best bait in the world won’t get you a bait. Yet move a few hundred yards up or down river and away from other anglers can see barbel jumping up your line.

Barbel are far from stupid from what I have seen. However the problem for barbel is they love food….
 
Adam King said:
Barbel love the day time, but what they hate is anglers casting on top of their heads . They also hate fishing line and their reaction to bait when fishing line is introduced can change dramatically. They are also eating machines and will travel all over the river, even in the middle of the day, looking for food. So don’t throw lots of bait all over the river, keep it consistent to one area.

A change of bait is good and even a cagey barbel finds a humble maggot or two too hard to resist.

Don’t be afraid of moving, when areas of river are hammered, barbel become extremely cagey and some times even the most perfectly presented rig with the best bait in the world won’t get you a bait. Yet move a few hundred yards up or down river and away from other anglers can see barbel jumping up your line.

Barbel are far from stupid from what I have seen. However the problem for barbel is they love food….
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Sorry I just realised that I rambled on there a bit. My one tip is Barbel are far from stupid, so avoid unnecessary casts, back lead (where possible) and accurately feed.
 
Bob Edwards said:
Here’s one I think you’ll appreciate Damian.

“Don’t concentrate on the finger or you will miss all the heavenly glory”.

( Bruce Lee )

Although I would replace finger with Quivertip .Totally unnecessary for Barbel IMHO.
Chub, Roach and Perch Yes, but not Barbel.

Here’s another I’ve just thought of.

“Find the fish yourself”.

Once found and then caught the euphoria felt will be even greater.

And lastly

“Don’t forget to smile” it’s just a hobby.
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Not sure about the quiver tip being not suitable, very useful in hitting bites that are finniky, not all bites are 3 foot twitches, and of course useful for drop backs.
Plus, they look nice.👌
 
Almost invariably on the Middle Severn, the first cast I'll make is within a rod length of the bank .... up, down, or directly under my feet. There may be a fish there that you'll miss, if you catch one from further out (and whilst you're fishing that 'inside line', feed a line further out where you intend to cast next). I reckon that over 50% of my Middle Severn doubles has been caught well within 10-12ft of the bank.
 
Chris Cheshire said:
Interestingly I'm exactly the opposite.
The fish move around more freely in the summer looking for food. In the winter they are much less mobile IMO. I always feel I have a better chance going looking for them.
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And that is where winter watercraft comes in, i.e. knowing (or reasoning) that there are fish in the swim, and the feeding 'window' hasn't yet happened. I could move to other similar swims and, even if they're in the vicinity, they may not be feeding. Therefore I'm happy to sit in a swim and wait. I'm more likely to rove in the summer, when fish are feeding most of the time, and there's more daylight.
 
Terry Simner said:
Almost invariably on the Middle Severn, the first cast I'll make is within a rod length of the bank .... up, down, or directly under my feet. There may be a fish there that you'll miss, if you catch one from further out (and whilst you're fishing that 'inside line', feed a line further out where you intend to cast next). I reckon that over 50% of my Middle Severn doubles has been caught well within 10-12ft of the bank.
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Same for me, on the Upper.
 
Graham Elliott said:
Staying put or moving around?

Sometimes I just get "that" feeling its time to have a move.

Sometimes, if it's cold and I'm snug, as I age I can't be bothered😁 especially if the bank is muddy and slippy and I feel safe where I am.
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This pretty much is my thinking as well
 
Neil Smart said:
Not sure about the quiver tip being not suitable, very useful in hitting bites that are finniky, not all bites are 3 foot twitches, and of course useful for drop backs.
Plus, they look nice.👌
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I have gradually come around to using quiver tips most of the time for my river fishing. Although it's barbel I like to fish for I am not unhappy when the bream or chub move in, a quiver tip makes a difference with them.

Many of the gentler bites I would have missed before, or waited to develop, have turned out to be barbel!

The other advantage of the quiver tip is I am sure the barbel take the bait fully against the gentler resistance. Many of the gentle tugs do turn into the "3 foot twitch". I do not get so many knocks that come to nothing when using quiver tips.

A few days ago I chopped a rod to splice in a 4 ozs quiver rip, first outing I had three nice river bream. Looking forward to finding some barbel with this rod when the river settles a bit. A lot of cold rain/snow recently!

Bream December 21.jpg


My tip for this thread...... Get intimate with one river rather than "playing the field" - she will reward you!
 
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