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The Only Way To Catch A Barbel?

i dont know how many of you know the old free bridge at ironbridge/coalport, it was a barbel hotspot (there were litrally hundreds there). well there was match on the river there & a VERY well known local matchman drew that peg & won it with a big bag of chub, but whenever he hooked a barbel he'd let it run down stream a bit then 'WHACK' & pull for a break, basiclly they were taking too long to land...totally irrisponsable.
sadly that bridge has has now been swapped for a gotham type monstrosity & the barbel have all but moved on
 
Well at least that's better than the gent I met as a kid in the 1960s at a smart, pre-Christmas drinks party with my parents at a fine ancient house in Salisbury Cathedral Close where some friends of theirs lived. On hearing that I was was a "young angler" a somewhat choleric, sixties gent volunteered that the bit of the Avon and tributary he owned locally was choked with "b....." barbel and that he shot them on the shallows with a 12 bore. True tale.
 
I cant believe that while some people are legering, that other anglers are float fishing through their swim. I certainly wouldnt allow it i dont know about anybody else. Then i look at the individual who thinks its ok to float fish through someone elses swim, does he not have any respect whatsoever.
The debate on float fishing goes on, Keith Speers has done amazing things with a float this winter and nobody can take that away from him.
As an ex match angler who fished the Trent at its best in open matches as a teenager and quite a bit over the years hence. I look at Keiths Peg as i have seen from photos, I see him fishing a pin, sat down on his box, with good depth and fishing a slowish flowing river. To me it looks like the perfect peg for fishing the float and only in flood conditions the leger gear ever really comes out, on the plus side it holds very big Barbel too.
A far cry from me fishing on the Trent with a 15 foot rod in 13 foot of water, fishing at 2-4 rods out on an ebbing tide, which is very hard work, but the rewards are tremendous, and the river has to be just right for this and i can wait weeks for the river to be perfect for this method.
Some of the best river anglers i have seen recently are those fishing the River Wye on the Belmont stretch around Hereford, they are incredible IMO, fishing the Bolo, which is just a heavy stick float method of fishing to me, using 3lb bottoms and catching 50 plus pounds of chub dace and the odd obliging Barbel. If your local and you have a few hours you can certainly learn a lot about this method from them and adapt it to float fishing for Barbel.
Its quite obvious that people have been inspired and started to take notice of Keiths successes, a few of my friends have gone out and bought a complete set up for fishing the float. Good on them and i am sure they will succeed, but only on the ideal peg, the ideal tackle and through experience they will prevail.

Jon
 
This float lark: do it weedless winter or in snag-and weed-free water in summer, nowhere near an "I'm going to go home now." holt (fallen tree etc), use a pin (far less chance of not breaking on a fish that decides to go off on one), bear in mind that a wild fish could very well take you down the bank a distance, possibly effecting another angler's sport as you go (so don't start fishing above a fella through whose swim you know you might go in the first place), and you will do little harm both to the fish and to other anglers.

In short, be responsible.
 
Tony Rocca said:
Half a dozen! strange barbel them. ;)

Must be the cut backs, a dozen is now 8 chaps. :)
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Indeed it is sad that some people just want to spoil others fun and offer 'advice' on how to fish a stretch! It is truly an art trotting for any fish let alone Barbel and I had my one and only Barbel on the float while trotting for Roach and Chub some years ago. It was a terrier of about 1.5lb and took off like a scalded cat on a normal float rod and c'pin with 4lb line. God knows how the amazing Keith Speers managed with the one on the home page pic and I also seem to remember another of his fantastic captures topping 17lb not so long ago also on the float. Just to get one in double figures on any method would be a bonus for me and to be able to do what Keith does (please God, just let me get one double on the float!) would be amazing, still I guess you have to put some time in on the bank and this season has been a complete washout for me and 15th March is next week, guess I'll have to resign myself to a fishless season...again! Well done Keith a splendid effort, I am green with envy!
 
Simon King said:
Expect the new Korda/Esp/IA/Pallatrax (etc, blah, blah) ranges of "Barbel Floats" out next week, with matching "Barbel" shots, links, float-rubbers, hooks, etc ad nauseum.
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never mind korda ,i've just made these ,rather splendid barbel floats

DSC00297.jpg

( its not the size of your float ,its how you use it )

based loosly on oversized grayling floats type bobbers (or giant avons ,if you prefer) .they'll carry a lot of weight and big baits .might test them on the itchin tomorrow ,if i can get away from the grayling ,designed too really be used on the trent ( big history of float fishing for barbel on the trent ) with size 10's or size 12's ,& pellets or chunks of luncheon meat or bunches of maggot .8lbs mainline 5/6lbs hooklengths

over the last 20 years a good portion of the barbel i've caught off the trent has been on the float ,either trotting or strett pegging .ok only small ones of between 4-8lbs and yes i've caught 6lbs barbel on lighter tackle fishing for silvers on 18's / 16's ,floatfishing for barbel is a valid technique ,probably been so for longer than ledgering has .and no less justified ,barbel are just fish like any other ,and when tug comes too pull they'll either stay on the hook or get off ,doesn't matter if your ledgering or float fishing .
 
There's never just one way to skin a cat. I may tend to use certain methods more than others but I'd not be daft enough to suggest that alternative methods are pointless, regardless of the circumstances.
 
Steven Devereux said:
never mind korda ,i've just made these ,rather splendid barbel floats

DSC00297.jpg

( its not the size of your float ,its how you use it )

based loosly on oversized grayling floats type bobbers (or giant avons ,if you prefer) .they'll carry a lot of weight and big baits .might test them on the itchin tomorrow ,if i can get away from the grayling ,designed too really be used on the trent ( big history of float fishing for barbel on the trent ) with size 10's or size 12's ,& pellets or chunks of luncheon meat or bunches of maggot .8lbs mainline 5/6lbs hooklengths

over the last 20 years a good portion of the barbel i've caught off the trent has been on the float ,either trotting or strett pegging .ok only small ones of between 4-8lbs and yes i've caught 6lbs barbel on lighter tackle fishing for silvers on 18's / 16's ,floatfishing for barbel is a valid technique ,probably been so for longer than ledgering has .and no less justified ,barbel are just fish like any other ,and when tug comes too pull they'll either stay on the hook or get off ,doesn't matter if your ledgering or float fishing .
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hi Steve can you make some 3 swan variants for me.....?
 
shouldn't be a problem (the little green one takes two ssg ) ,i'll be making floats in the closed season again ,so can knock up some ,in cork or balsa or styrofoam .i'll see what those big boys take then adjust the size downwards too suite.
 
Paul Boote said:
This float lark: do it weedless winter or in snag-and weed-free water in summer, nowhere near an "I'm going to go home now." holt (fallen tree etc), use a pin (far less chance of not breaking on a fish that decides to go off on one), bear in mind that a wild fish could very well take you down the bank a distance, possibly effecting another angler's sport as you go (so don't start fishing above a fella through whose swim you know you might go in the first place), and you will do little harm both to the fish and to other anglers.

In short, be responsible.
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Quite so Paul and also.......................



Float fish with an appropriately strong hooklength. The "other" Keith mentioned earlier catches umpteen barbel every season to 16+lbs on this stretch and he uses 8lb double-strength to the hook.

Sensible chap and excellent angler.
He rarely loses one and lands them in a healthily short amount of time.

If the same story of 2 or 3lb hooklengths used regularly for successful barbeling came out as de rigeur on leger gear, I suspect the knives would be out and a little sharper?

I'm all for people using a method they enjoy, but unnecessarily exhausting, or breaking off from, large fish is plain irresponsible.

It's not as though they're that difficult to catch?:rolleyes:
 
Mr King

Can I ask how many 14,15,16,17,and 18 lb barbel you have caught?
I can't remember Keith breaking off of any. And the fight is not protracted.
What are you trying to say?

Mike
 
Mike Wilson said:
Mr King

Can I ask how many 14,15,16,17,and 18 lb barbel you have caught?
I can't remember Keith breaking off of any. And the fight is not protracted.
What are you trying to say?

Mike
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Mr Wilson, several of some of those sizes and over far fewer seasons as an angler, not that it has any bearing.
This is a broad ethical thread.

Please don't make it personal or egotistical...........I haven't................,

Kindly read my posts more carefully, if you will (in relation to your good friend whom I have shown all due respect for); then I will gracefully accept an apology for the attempted insinuation?
 
Not good Mike.

You've not done yourself or friend Keith any favours with a post like that mate.

Many good anglers/lads frequent sites like this, not all are lucky enough to have the opportunity to catch such sized fish, but does that necessarily make them any less an angler?

Daz.
 
Simon King said:
Mr Wilson, several of some of those sizes and over far fewer seasons as an angler, not that it has any bearing.
This is a broad ethical thread.

Please don't make it personal or egotistical...........I haven't................,

Kindly read my posts more carefully, if you will (in relation to your good friend whom I have shown all due respect for); then I will gracefully accept an apology for the attempted insinuation?
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Simon, would I be correct in thinking that there's more than just a little insinuation in some of the posts within this thread from your goodself aimed at Keith and his recent achievements?

If you started this thread with entirely innocent intentions would you mind telling me what the point is that you were trying to make as, no matter how many times I read it, I'm failing to see exactly what you are getting at.
 
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As previously said, like many I was brought up on the banks of the river Severn, Avon and Teme with the odd trip to the Trent when my dad could afford the petrol.
I allways float fished and still do and the mention of 3lb hook lengths is nothing new to me, a good 3lb hooklength ie Maxima and NOT a low diameter version and well balanced tackle will land barbel up to 12lb no problem, it all depends on the swim,(snaggy and shallow with some pace) then you would struggle so on would go the 5lb, but in 8ft of steady pace and no snags then she will come to the net no problem, and then well rested she will swim away with only her pride hurt.
I do see what you mean tho if its just a trend that is applied without experience of both river craft and playing fish in general.
 
Simon King said:
are seeing posts and pics of captures such as the esteemed Mr Speers, and blindly ape-ing the method without any thought

As the mantra was..................You can only catch on pellet.

Now is..................................You can only catch on a float.


With all due respect to those VERY few anglers capable of performing this feat (and I'm sure even they lose the odd fish, but of course, we don't get to see those pics ;)), am I alone in hearing alarm bells ringing in the background?
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I'm not having a pop at Keith (for whom, I repeat, I have the utmost regard as an angler and a man), but those who slavishly and mindlessly copy without thought.


Clear enough, chaps?
 
Problem with your original post Simon is it is too contrived to be taken seriously ,your credibilty is shot , leave the subject alone.
 
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