Small, low stock rivers and big barbel

[Christian Tyroll]

Afternoon all

Don't know about anyone else but a month in to the close season and I'm itching to get back, the delirium is starting

I'm interested to hear from those who fish small rivers, for a small stock of big fish. Places like the Nene, Ouse, Lea, Kennet, Loddon, Colne etc.

Do people find them catchable in the daytime?

Who has a preference for roving, or sitting it out in one spot?

I'm sure a lot of this has been done to death in the past but the rivers are different places than even 5 years ago. Some places are throwing up big fish again (or perhaps queitly always were).

I'm not after anything specific, just to hear about what has worked for people and what hasn't in recent years.

My limited experience in recent years has seen a few fish caught by fishing over a small amount of boilies, say between 5 and 10. But I'm interested in putting a pint or two of hemp out amongst it in the warmer weather, just to get small fish activity going and a good bit of smell going downstream.

All the best

Christian

 

[Tim Penn]

On the areas of the Lea I fish you can happily sit all day and catch all day but the fish seem to be a smaller average size (4-6lb), stalking in the evenings or early mornings definitely seems to bring out the larger fish but equally one chance and that area is done for a while.

I plan to try for bigger fish next season, a lot more moving, searching and trap style fishing. Last season 95% of my barbel were caught trotting a float. Hemp definitely seems to be the key in that instance. I had my best days trotting a banded pellet and feeding a pinch of hemp, then some pellets each run through.