|
|
 |
Barbel
Barbel are a great fish. They can be quite
large with specimen sizes up to 17lb.
Barbel are hard fighting fish so your
equipment needs to be strong enough to
stand up to them. A summary of your ideal Barbel tackle would be a tough rod with a soft tip, size 6-8 Drennen Super Specialist hook, mono or preferably braid line around 12lb breaking strain and with good abrasion resistance. Once the line has a nick in it,
a strong fighting Barbel will easily snap it at
this weak point. Sea fishing lines can also be good for this species such as 10-12lb Berkley Big Game.
With regards to bait, you will need
to prime the area you have chosen with hempseed, trout pellets, broken boilies, finely chopped luncheon meat or spam, paste baits and many other variations. Variety is the key with Barbel. A PVA funnel bag feeder is a
good way of gently feeding the area. Prepare
it before you go and attach it to the swivel link
of the trace leading to your lead. If possible
cast the lead slightly upstream of your chosen spot where your hook resides and the feeder
will send a constant stream of food to your hooking area. You can also cast food around the surrounding area as trails to your fishing spot which lead the Barbel in, it can
sometimes work a treat! |
| BARBEL
FISHING AT A GLANCE |
Best time of day -
Any time of day in summer when it is hot. However, the best times are always the last hour of darkness before morning and the first hour of evening darkness. |
Best marks -
Over clean gravel. |
Best baits -
Artificial - never heard of Barbel being caught on artificials.
Fresh baits - hempseed, trout pellets, boilies, paste baits, mashed bread, finely chopped cooked meat and a good quality base mix.
Rig guide - .... read more >>
|
|
Also, don't just focus on one swim, identify a number of swims and feed them equally (little and often) with a total of 1-2 pints of feed. Then, so long as there is no competition, you may want to leave them for a couple of hours to attract interest. When your return, fish all of them in turn for 2 hours at a time.
Optimum time and positioning
As with most fish, the hours of darkness are always the best - preferably the last hour before light and the first hour of evening darkness. Select your fishing spots by looking for patches of clean gravel. Focus on these areas and be patient! You may need to feed the swim for several visits to build up the Barbel interest and confidence in the area before you finally succeed. The main thing is to not give up. Try different techniques varying your baits and your rigs. |
|
Gift Vouchers
