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lower Thames

A

Alan Muller

Member
Good afternoon to all you Barbel Nuts out there ! .. Wondered if any body has been fishing between Bell Weir & Hampton Court this season & indeed if they have had any joy ? seems to me from my first few months on the thames after years on the loddon that once you find them they are not hard to catch (of course location is the key ) i have located a few pockets around penton hook through laleham and have had 11 fish so far 5 being low doubles ,all taken on 16mm pellets ... its been a joy after watching a motionless rod tip for far to long at Carters hill .. enough said it would be great to hear if any others are getting any action in these areas ?
 
How far down do the barbel go Alan?

My mate and I watched the weigh in after a match a month back and saw some half decent bream go back. None of them gave any credit to barbel being present?

That said, it was one of the most appalling sites I've seen in angling, they had absolutely no regard for the fish safety.mouckily the ea had a pair of guys on hand in a boat and we're trying to save a fair few injured fish back into the deeper water..... But that's another story!
 
Sounds like you are doing well Alan! I've been out a few times this season but had a disaster so far. Seen a few barbel out this year but not on my lines though :(

I've been fishing closer to Bell weir than Hampton Court this year but to be honest you can find barbel anywhere in between and beyond. It is just the case of locating them.

What are your tactics out of interest?

Tight lines!

Stephen
 
Alan, I would say 11 fish, 5 of which doubles, is a great return for a few months on the Thames.
Well done, great fishing.

Your photos in the gallery are impressive.
Just a thought (and I don't mean anything sinister by this), do you think you've had any recaptures?
 
hi Chris i have not seen any issues with the match lads on the thames , if anything they can give away vital clues when hunting out our quarry .. also a good tip is to speak with the Carp lads .. they often catch Barbel while hunting for Carp .. alan
 
Dave Durrant said:
Alan, I would say 11 fish, 5 of which doubles, is a great return for a few months on the Thames.
Well done, great fishing.

Your photos in the gallery are impressive.
Just a thought (and I don't mean anything sinister by this), do you think you've had any recaptures?
Click to expand...

Hi Dave , Thanks .. no i do not think that any of these were recaptures as all the fish were caught within a peroid of 8-9 weeks at a guess , all at various weights , of course i can not be 100% sure ... but i will take it .. the other factor is that they were caught from diffrent areas .. and could not travel up weirs and locks unless in flood which is not the case at present .. my tactics are very simple .. i am on the move .. no action after 40mins ( plucks / taps and i might give it longer ) then i am on the move .. also i never use free offerings , just a 16mm Crab pellet to stop the bream and a large amount of scolded pellets bound with a few eggs to help it stay on wrapped around my hook bait .. if they are in the area i have found that they will find it pretty quickly and with no freebies hopefully its your bait thats going to be taken .. i have really found it that simple , also to take into account that i fish 2 nights out of 7 , and only short periods say at the moment 5-9 .. i save the longer sessions to rivers like the loddon that i have found do not switch on till 11pm most times and thats hard going with kids / a business to run .. also dont forget we have had ideal conditions as its been so mild of late .. i am sure it is about to change lets see .. cheers alan
 
Very helpful Alan, cheers.

I like the idea of moving from swim to swim, as we know location is paramount.

As you say, things may just start to get harder. Winter draws on. ;)
 
Hi Alan, your tactics were mirrored by myself and a buddie for the last of the great few seasons on the Gt Ouse. Sitting it out on one swim was generally a waste of time, and as you say, travelling light, with one bait is the way forward, on rivers where the barbel population isn't on par with the likes of the Trent.
On the quieter stretches, we may have walked the banks and dropped a handful of baits in a number of swims, then go back and fish them in rotation.
I have still to fish the Thames, I need to find a day when I can be completely free of any other 'obstacles'. And your method would be my approach, as it looks like long walks are the name of the game.
 
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