Fishing for Barbel

Don`t you just love it when a plan comes together? 

On this day it did! 

The plan was hatching in my minds eye throughout the day while I was doing my day job of angling coaching…The thoughts of the fish being in an area and ready to feed were strong. So late on I put the bait in the spot I had been thinking of and threw some bait over it, there was indeed movement on the tips and my anticipation was high!

I had managed to tempt a few chub and a gudgeon in the 2 hours before dark…and then just on dark as I was on the phone to my wife (and as often happens when I am) the rod nearly left the bank and took a dip! I slipped into action (literally) and the fight was on, after an epic few minutes through weed and cabbage, the massive framed reward was mine, this fish would go much heavier at different times of the year but it was a very satisfying 11lbs for me.

Such a beautiful fish most deserving of a picture….

A lunchtime start saw me on the banks of the lower Severn on a fairly mild (for the time of year) day before Christmas. The wind was blowing warmer than previous days and the barometer was saying “low”, normally good conditions for winter barbel. A walk upstream from my first field swim of choice might buy me a bite or two.

After 15 minutes or so with rod in hand, pasted pellet on the hook, and a feeder full of goodies, would they resist? Could they resist?

Nope!

Two in a row before darkness descends and teatime looms, lovely. Moving nearer to the car, we were treated to a Geminid meteor shower, shooting stars while catching barbel, two more followed on this mild evening. A good sleep and move to catch up with some friends for Christmas before another try on another stretch. 

The water temps had risen and so had hopes of a bite! Until that is, I met a chap packing up after 2 bite-less days. Oh well, in it to win it and all that, I`m here now, (after a long walk with a squeaking bucket, bag and boots)! 

I chose a spot to leave the bait as long as possible…40 minutes in, it ripped off! Steaming downstream for freedom, the fish was strong and heavy, it finally came upstream towards me before running headlong through a whole bramble bush, & tethering my side of the line so that I could only pull against the flexible branches of the bush.

We were in a fix, the fish was well hooked, but we were both pulling to no effect, so with no other option, but to open the bail arm, I did. Then I set off for the long walk back to the car to collect my loppers, saw and waders, this had become a simultaneous capture “and” rescue service. Eventually, after “much ado” the fish was safely landed and the bush trimmed! I was also well warmed up after the walk and gardening…The troublesome beauty was 11lb 2oz and well worth the hassle!

After just the one cast taking so long with weighing and photographs etc added to the rescue, I had to have another and within five or so minutes this time, I was attached again!! A great scrap and this resulting fat fish of 10lb 4oz….

This one had a mark on it which I believe may distinguish it as one of the tagged fish from the recent tagging for the Teme/Severn barbel movement study, this is a nice turn-up to know that the fish is well, and back in the area that it was before, after extensive travelling through the summer!

After this pre-Christmas session I had no chance to get out until a post-Christmas/new year session with my youngest son. So a bit of camping and touring around the countryside was in order as well as a fish or two. Conditions were good again, catching the end of some mild weather new years day!

We were caught in some showers just getting to our swim and he was already “freezing” and letting me know it!! Luckily it didn`t take very long at all for our rod to bend into action, and this fighting fit fish of 8lb 8oz to arrive….

He was chilled.

A great result and strange to see that the fish only had one full barbule and 2 completely missing!

We moved on then to dry off and check out the Shropshire countryside, where we stopped off and slipped the net under another beauty before heading for home, happy with our lot. 

This winter is proving to be very mild and the fish are responding well , lots of bites on many rivers, check out the predictions page here…and make the most, tight lines!

Predictions of fishing on various rivers

Here we are with the season fast approaching, and the rain tapping our windows, so perhaps we won’t have the scorching start of 2017 after all. Hopefully we won’t have the flooded start of 2012 either!

This diary account is the catch up for my season`s end ready for a fresh start after the new seasons beginning. So it was a pretty special season in many ways, and I had some truly great days, sometimes it took hours before things came good, and others, only minutes.

Back when it was a little colder, just a couple of day`s before Christmas….low pressure, constant rain & higher air temps had prompted a night roving trip. After a chub and some knocks a move was required, I met up with a friend and caught several chub on maggots before it was time for him to pack up and say goodbye, as he was loading the car my rod pulled positively round and on!

To both of our surprise this was most definitely a barbel, after giving a great account of herself she fell into the waiting net and was bigger than either of us had thought. The scales tipped over 13lb to 13lb 5oz, what a beauty and worth the wait. The photo`s were kindly taken, and the fish was rested, as I bid him good bye and cast one last cast (slightly downstream and away), before heading home for Christmas.

That last cast did not take too long (ten minutes max), before turning into a screaming running fish which took line for fun and played hard in the extra winter flow. As she emerged it was evident that she was another big fish and she weighed in at 10lb 4oz, two in two casts after an hour of quietness and my friend could only have been at the end of the road! Merry Christmas.

Another great session followed in the new year with 10 barbel from a slightly rising level and temp river Severn. These came in a few hours through the afternoon, so I stayed over until the next day as conditions seemed to be improving! And so it proved, the fish were feeding once again and i beat my record for barbel caught in successive casts (12) with 13 this time before a missed bite. Then followed up with a few more and finished with 17 on the day, no chub both days!

These day`s don`t just happen for me, as was proved when with customers for a couple of days on the Wye. The first day was good and we had a pb and several barbel for them, but rather than follow this in the same way the next day, I decided to take them somewhere with a chance of more….and a chance to try a variation on methods already tried. This worked out well and after building a swim each they both caught several barbel in stunning surroundings about as natural a day as we could find.

The season ended with high waters, but not impossible, I finished with this fish of 8lb4oz among a few others!