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The mystery of the lower Severn

J

Jeff Collins

No Longer a Member
Having had a BAA card for the last 15 year's I've fished the middle severn and the teme with id say fair results. However over the last two or three years I've had this fascination with the lower. Unfortunately I've never done that well. I've heard differing stories about feeding lots and scrimping on the feed. What i would like is your views or approaches to the lower.
Please understand I'm not after location or swims, just your thoughts on how you tackle it.

Many thanks
JC
 
I have refined my approach to the Lower over the years and find that if they are having it then I give them some grub. If they are not feeding well then I don't. If I'm catching I stay in the same place and if I'm not catching I move.

If none of the above works then I either chuck out a maggot feeder and catch what comes or go home.

Paul
 
I haven't fished it for a while but a consistent method was always the fairly basic approach of baiting with hemp at the bottom of the shelf, usually about two or three rod lengths out. Meat or boilies over this was pretty effective on the old Barbel Society stretch at Clifton.
 
Hi Joe.
Just read the 'Popes' article again on fishing the lower, and I know you have repeated to me before that he never fishes the lower without putting at least a gallon or more of hemp, or a kilo of boilies, and just a couple of rod lengths out.
Hence it might make sense to adopt such tactics, but I really do wonder if there are any barbel at times in the Lower to make such tactics worthwhile?

Last summer there was hardly any barbel action on the Lower, and yet contrast the summer before it was almost prolific. The difference was dry / wet summer I suppose, which I think is the major factor in the Lower, of course there were the exceptions, I think we all know about one in particular, but it does seem the higher levels bring a good head of Barbel with it.

It really is a mystery. if anyone has the answer please PM me, I will be suitably discreet :)
 
I don't fish the Lower often, but last year I never caught on there at all.
The previous year I averaged 4 a session, with the average weight being about 4-5Ib.

I don't fish far out, probably 1-2 rod lengths out depending on the levels, and where I can find a crease.
 
I personally think that one of the biggest considerations on the Lower is location. Although it looks like a big boring canal, there is quite a variation in depth, substrate etc. Time spent leading around, or using an echo sounder if you have the means, can be time well spent.

In my experience, successful baiting strategies can vary from day to day, and I have caught when using small PVA bags and when putting in larger quantities of hemp/boilies/goundbait. I've also blanked doing both on a larger number of occassions!

The other thing I have found on the Lower is not to ignore fishing the middle of the river. It will depend on the swim, but in some areas that is where the barbel will feed.

I think it is very difficult to decide on one winning formula, and many different tactics will work on their day. Focussing effort in one area and getting to know it well might start to reveal some trends, that is until they change their minds and decide to do something completely different :confused:
 
Well if it helps, I am happy to go through everything I tried last year and failed with, just so that you can discount it from future plans.......
 
I have been fishing the lower now for about 12yrs and in that time the quality of fishing has varied tremendously. 10 yrs ago there were a lot more fish about but the average size was lower. After the 2007 floods the fishing crashed. By 2010 I was starting to catch a few and the av size had jumped to nearly double figures. 2011 was brilliant 2012 was as prolific, but the splashers had started to return in numbers. Last season was like 2008 with just a few larger fish to show with several blanks. In total I caught just five ....1spasher, 2 at 8.12, 1 of 11.12 and a 12.02. The spring of 2013 was I think the second coldest on record. This must have had some effect on normal spawning migration. We then had a fairly dry summer, followed by a v wet winter.

My conclusion is the same now as it was in 2007/8. MAJOR WEATHER EVENTS ON THE LOWER CAN CAUSE LASTING EFFECTS.

cheers Paul
ps this spring seems normal so far
 
I think for what ever the reason every one struggled last season ? and lets hope the river is a bit kinder to us this season .
We had the drought in 2011 and it was a struggle . ( At least I struggled )
We had the floods in July 2012 and it was amazing with loads of decent fish being caught .

Then last season we had low water then floods and they went into hiding ? So where did they go ? Are they still there ? Did the floods for what ever reason move them from there usual locations ? We all know how far they can travel .
So is it a case of looking for a needle in a hay stack and finding them again ?
Or are they still in the usual locations ?
 
Joe,

I don't think they move at all, even though the lack of action could make you think that you were fishing a barren peg. We all struggled last year to catch all species present not just the Barbel. So to follow some peoples logic all the fish must have gone "somewhere else". Not very likely is it?

Paul
 
I would bet they move, it seems pretty far fetched that despite all the efforts of anglers that so few were caught. Is it a coincidence that it is only when the levels are up for longer periods the the Barbel are caught in numbers? The wet summers equate to much more Barbel on the Lower Severn, the conundrum for me is do they move up or downstream?

I hope I am wrong as the thought of fishing a barbel devoid stretch is not very attractive.
 
Neil I would have to agree with you and yes I do think they move .
How far they move is another question ?
I suppose its a case of being in the right place at the right time .
 
I reckon that they move as a result of; in particular; big floods. It also seems to me that smaller fish are more likely to move. Over time they re colonise favoured areas. Either because of river bed features and/or angling activity. Remember only a small fraction of the lower receives regular angling attention.

Cheers Paul
 
Why would a fish waste precious energy to move in a flooded river like the lower? Wherever it fetches up it will still be in a flooded river unless they are prepared to make a mighty long journey. The fact that you cant get a bite does not mean they are not there, but it is an easy excuse for why you blanked.

Paul
 
Paul, do you really think that barbel are smart enough to know that there is no point in moving on the lower, because the conditions will be similar no matter how far they travel? You may know that....but these are fish...and not the sharpest ones at that.

I would have thought that if the recent record level floods, which continued for an extraordinarily long time, made conditions intolerable even for barbel (and it may just have got to that) then they may well have decide to move to attempt to find more comfortable areas. How far might they have then traveled before it dawned on their tiny minds that things were not getting any better?

I have no idea whether that is a likely occurrence or not....but it wouldn't surprise me too much if it were true.

Cheers, Dave.
 
Barbel are often on the move. to spawning areas, summer homes , winter homes. A big flood can remove a snag or feature from the river. Barbel will settle where they feel safe and comfortable.

Cheers Paul
 
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