Hi Paul
tbh mate I can't remember, these days I can't remember what I said half an hour ago,
anyway for me to give advice on such a thing, especially the Severn I would take with a pinch of salt.
The Severn is an enigma and doesn't play by the rules, however I do recall a certain local tackle dealer that approaches Barbel fishing like a carper, well he is anyway, and he 'filled in' a peg at Severn Stoke a few seasons back, and apparently he did very well, and when I asked how much ,£ wise it was ' at least a couple of hundred quid' in bait, now that might be a price worth paying for some but not me.
And Joe and I have discussed pre baiting so not off the scale as a possibility but £200? I don't think so.
I guess if there is a reasonable head of Barbel in the stretch then all you need to do is put down a scent trail via a feeder,
but the lower has not a large head of Barbel at most times so it would be very hit and miss unless you could pull 'em down from as far as Bewdley
But an interesting thread nonetheless, especially with 3 barbel caught at Tewkesbury