Well I am no longer a Barbel virgin. After two seasons of fishing a highly regarded stretch of the Kennet I’ve finally caught one, a tiddler by anyone’s standards but I don’t care. Big thanks to Chris P for some subtle and not so subtle hints.

I arrived at the venue at about 10:00am to find nobody there. It was drizzly and overcast but as I was planning to spend the day in chest waders I was grateful for the cooler temperatures. I bid good morning to a cyclist who arrived 5 minutes later (secretly wishing that he would fish another stretch), set up in the car park and headed off to a longish trot of shallow water, about 3 feet deep then shallowing over gravel 30 yards downstream.

Remembering the mantra I threw in bait at regular intervals before I started fishing. After half an hour I’d smoked a lot, made phone calls, finished breakfast but couldn’t put it off any longer…I had to get in the water. This in itself was a first, I‘ve only waded up to my knees before, this time the water was lapping around much more sensitive regions, quite nice actually.

First trot produced a chublet, thereafter a succession of Trout & Chub took the bait, good sport but nothing worthy of the landing net.

About an hour into the session the float dipped, a quick wriggle and then nothing but solid resistance, no chubby thumps. I was able to gently gain line so I knew it wasn’t a monster but could it be my first?

Indeed it was;



I couldn’t believe the size of the fins on this fish, if ever a creature has evolved with the sole purpose of coping with flowing water then this is it. I returned my trophy holding the fish facing upstream for a short while until it leisurely swam off none the worse for the experience, I was a nervous wreck however (it was to get worse).

Back in the water, off went the float, it dipped again and whatever was attached headed downstream at an alarming rate. I couldn’t do anything about it so with rod bent double I applied more pressure to the reel. A loud crack confirmed that my 14 ft float rod was now a 12 ft rod. I can only think that I must have damaged the tip section through careless handling previously, it’s a strange place for it to break with a fish on.

I was pretty fed up at that point and was going to call it a day but I phoned my local tackle shop and they said they can get a replacement tip section for Monday so I decided to carry on.

I fished until my two pints of maggots had gone and caught small Trout, Chub and another Barbel about 6 inches long, a perfect miniature. During the afternoon the sun came out, a cool breeze picked up and my chest waders stayed watertight. With a Match Aerial twirling away beneath me it was my idea of fishing heaven.

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Well done Rusty and sorry to hear about the rod. Great looking river by the way.

Well done mate, that is good service by your tackle shop i must say.

I am still waiting for my first elusive barbel.

Neil

Congrats Rusty

There is nothing quite like your first Barbel is there mate and even better when caught on the float and lovely Match Ariel!
My first Barbel came from the Kennet, I love the river and wish it was slightly closer than it is or I would love to fish there again.
You can't beat chest wading and trotting with a pin for Barbel, that would have been my idea of heaven too mate.

Sorry to hear about the rod mate, a mere hiccup in proceedings eh!

Well done mate

well done nice fish and now you have had one i am sure there will be many more,

i would love the chance to go after barbel but i dont live anywhere near a river and plucking one from a commercail lake wouldn't interest me

You sure that isn't just a big gudgeon?...lol

Just kidding mate. Well in. I'd be stoked too.

...andy...

Well done on your first river pig Rusty,

I also caught my first Barbel on the beautiful river Kennet a 5lb 8oz beauty caught at Newbury in 1975 and I still remember it as though it were yesterday.

I love the Kennet, the only thing I didn't like about it was that on all of the best Barbel stretches night fishing was barred, but I expect it has changed now. still as beautiful as ever though.

This post has been edited by BoldBear: Jul 3 2009, 11:08 PM

Where do you live Mike? They say everyone lives less than 5 miles from a river, (well in this country anyway.)

Well done Rusty....have you got the fever yet

Well done.

That first fish of any species is always something special, and when caught in idyllic surroundings and on a pin, something to remember for the rest of your life. Thanks for capturing the event on your camera and sharing it with the rest of us.

Sorry to hear about the rod, but you modern anglers WILL use these cheap** rods made from plastics My split-bamboo trotter has been catching fish for almost fifty years now........

**once saw a mate bust a £700 fancy carbon-reinforced-by-all-sorts-of-rare-elements fly rod.