fantasticfisherman

basically, yes. but i'll explain a bit more drennan clear insert wagglers can take not just drennan starlights, but different coloured float tips according to the colour of the reflection you are fishing against. if you are fishing against the reflection of a clear blue sky, then use a black tip. if fishing against a coloured background then use a red or orange tip.

i'v seen that people use short hooklengths when fishing with method feeders so the bait is nearer the feed. the same might apply with open ended feeders.

i had a 19lb weight in a match once, full of carp, and they all went back into the water fine. these fish were in between 1lb and 3lb.

fished the thames in cookham,berkshire. fished from 5.30 'til 11.00.am

as i said i would, i went fishing today and although i didn't catch my 5lb barbel on halibut boilies, i did manage a dace on a bunch of maggots and a very welcome 1lb barbel on cheese with hemp as feed.

that's actually a good idea

i don't mean to cause an argument by saying this but - cut him some slack,i used to be in trees more than in the water! i learnt through experiences like that.

this is good advice leeds with every fish you catch but especially with barbel and any other big fish where they tire themselves out so much during the fight that due care has to be taken.

the minimum i use when surface fishing is 6lb line. but thats where the carp go to about 10lb max. when there is carp up to 25lb+ then the minimum b.s. i would use then is 10lb.

i've seen feeder rods specially named 'carp method rods' simply because they have a really, really thick quivertip with them. you might think, 'if they have a really really thick tip then how will you see the bites?' but believe me, although i've only been fishing 3 years , and i'm 15 yrs old,you'll know when you've got a bite from a carp!

ok thanks for the replies everyone. will be going on sunday so i'll let you know what happens if all goes well.

i'd be over the moon with 5lb barbel. thats why i'n asking if the boilies i have are any good because i'm after a p.b this weekend since my p.b at the moment is only 1 1/2lb

so does that make shelf-lives better?

sorry had a bit of a cock up when using a quote

[/qb] Been using them for a while now, try the frozen ones! [/QB] i hadn't realised you could get frozen halibut boilies. is there an advantage when using frozen ones instead of shelf-life ones? [/QB]

quote: Originally posted by Rob Ward: [/qb] Been using them for a while now, try the frozen ones! [/QB] i hadn't realised you could get frozen halibut boilies. is there an advantage when using frozen ones instead of shelf-life ones?

what do you lot think to using halibut boilies for barbel? i've heard not to use shelf-life boilies for barbel because of the preservatives in them. so why was the british record barbel caught on shelf-life boilies?(source boilies) i'm planning a trip barbel fishing this weekend so any help will be much appriciated. thanks.

i've found that pike find it hard to bite through a 15lb trace. i've done it myself when i lost all my wire ones. sure, they will fray it a bit but it should hold out. good luck

using a controller depends on how far you are fishing out. if there are snags about or if the carp are able to take you aroung the pillers of the bridge once hooked then you need to use at least 10lb line and a big strong hook coupled with a strong rod - preferrably a carp rod.

thanks for the ideas everyone. i'm going to have a bash for the barbel on my local river this coming weekend either above a weir where i know there are plenty of barbel or in the side stream where they go to spawn. i was thinking of using 6mm halibut pellets with hemp together as feed while using a 14mm halibut pellet on the hair. p.s- i know this is a carp fishing forum so i won't keep talking about coarse fishing i was just asking the people who use pellets more for carp [ 06. July 2005, 07:15 PM: Message edited by: mr. bean ]

does any one know what bait would be good to use with halibut pellets(usually with a swimfeeder) for barbel without getting too much like specialist fishing?

i'd have to agree with nathanm, looks as if it's just nudging double figures.

so am i but seeing the big chub got the better of me. [ 10. July 2005, 08:01 PM: Message edited by: mr. bean ]

i had a few hours after school yesterday and had a great start to the season with a 3 1/2lb and a 4lb chub on spam and scopex boilies.

i'll be going straight after school to see if i can get a spot for the early season barbel that just spawned.trouble is there is loads of anglers there beginning of the season on my local river.