barbel at makins

[Guest tigger]

That article is pretty well spot on in my experience..and I have a fair bit of experience with 1.5/1.75 TC rods. Forget the action of the top bit, get the middle and butt bending and then you can apply the power.

 

Tigger, the incident in which I used my 3lb rods was a one off (pretty sure I explained that) The weir pool was deep and the original edge/bank and piling had eroded and the pool had become larger. This meant (and still means) that you have to fish over the submerged bank and pilings to get at the fish. I lost/snagged up/probably damaged two or three fish on my first visit. Next time I used the 3lb rods and hit a held. Not possible with the match rods or with any 1.75/1,5 TC rods, as even a short run would see the fish in the snags.

 

Brutal but effective, not something I have repeated, but if I had to fish a similar situation then I would do the same.

 

I have also caught a few barbel from the Lee and Kennet on a pole. Up to 9+ on the Lee and I once had a brace of nines one evening on the Kennet.

 

Who mentioned casting 6oz leads on a match rod?

 

Den

 

 

Den just so you don't get the wrong idea, I'm not pickin at you m8 just chit-chat and I don't disbelive anything you've said after all we all have different opinions/experiences. I have daiwa Tournament whisker Kevlar 1.75's and if I use say for instance 12lb nash bullet(which in reality only breaks at 18lb) with a 25lb braid bottom I can hit and hold barbel ok with no problems but I can say in all honesty even with my Drennan im8 specimine match rod there's no way on earth I can it simply isn't strong enough even though it's supposed to have a 2lb power curve (whatever that is I don't know) .

Edited July 5, 2008 by tigger

[John S]

Really??

 

You should get out more John

 

I like the way you edited the quote Rabbit, so instead of it saying "Angling is not a computer game where all fish are programmed to react in the same way under the same conditions...." you made it into "Angling is a computer game where all fish are programmed". Nicely done, it only means the direct opposite of what the original poster meant

 

[Guest Rabbit]

Get out and join a ' My fish is better than your fish' argument Neil? I don't think so.

 

I can understand some of the youngsters on here asking 'what's the best fish?' etc, but adult, experienced anglers???

It'll be who can pee highest up the wall next.

 

John.

 

you could have left it in (or was it the unseen hand of a mod )

[Guest Rabbit]

I like the way you edited the quote Rabbit, so instead of it saying "Angling is not a computer game where all fish are programmed to react in the same way under the same conditions...." you made it into "Angling is a computer game where all fish are programmed". Nicely done, it only means the direct opposite of what the original poster meant

 

I thought so Just as well it was on your watch Johm

[gozzer]

you could have left it in (or was it the unseen hand of a mod )

 

Left what in?

 

John.

[BoldBear]

It was only a couple of days ago where we were laughing at two anglers on the upper Lea who were using their Poles for Barbel even though they were using Carp Poles (although we were inwardly crying for the Barbel with the hooks being left in them), and true to form they lost every Barbel they had on. the Carp Pole may be fine when used on larger parts of the river where you can afford to give them some room but on the narrower upper stretches which are full of streamer weed and rushes etc. the anglers didn't have a chance with their Poles. I don't deny that a really experienced heavy Pole angler may be able to catch the odd Barbel but it is hardly sensible tackle for Barbel on the upper Lea or sensible advice to give the less experienced.

 

When I was younger; using an old MKIV Avon rod I had been unfortunate to have ripped open a large Barbels lip on the Kennet with a size 4 specialist hook, leaving a wide open gash dripping in blood, I didn't have my landing net as my friend had just gone further upstream with it so I just continued pulling at it trying to get it within reach of the bank so that I could land it by hand but the Barbel made a last minute dash for freedom resulting with the deep gaping gash in its lip although the hookhold still held, because of this bad experience I have never liked to use Hook and Hold tactics; however I do beleive in using tackle that is strong enough to enable me to land the fish as soon as possible to prevent the fish from exhausting itself too much. I believe that the Barbels welfare comes way before my need to catch it and if Hook and Hold tactics are required then I just move on.

Edited July 6, 2008 by BoldBear

[Guest Rabbit]

Left what in?

 

John.

 

See John S comments post #92

Edited July 6, 2008 by Rabbit

[WickerDave]

Now been sold, according to fisheries.co.uk...

 

British Waterways sells Makin's

 

Makin's Fishery, one of the UK's largest and most successful commercial coarse fisheries, has been sold by British Waterways to a private owner who currently wishes to remain anonymous.

 

Developed by match ace Billy Makin, the Warwickshire fishery had a £900,000 price tag and provides angling on over 500 pegs on 18 lakes covering some 23.5 acres of water.

 

Despite the current state of the UK property market, the sale was agreed within two to three weeks of the venue being put on the market by Fisherie4sale.com.

 

Commenting on the sale, Martin Freeman of Fisheries4sale.com said he had been 'pleasantly surprised' by the high level of interest which had been shown in the fishery. He added: "Despite the current market conditions it demonstrates that there are potential buyers out there who are interested in purchasing businesses with good cash flows and potential for future development."

[Neil G]

I'm lucky enough to have some good Barbel waters very local to me (Avon) so wouldn't choose fo fish stillwaters for Barbel.

 

Seems slightly unnatural for a fish designed to live in fast flowing water to be in a stillwater but there we go, nothing I can say/do that is going to change things.

[Puzzled]

Reading some of the comments on here reminded me of a brief viewing I had recently on Sky Sports of a Fishomania Final from some place near Stoke (I tuned in because it was lauded as "Angling's FA Cup Final")

 

There were 16 guys sitting at regular intervals around a doughnut shaped puddle catching what appeared to be mostly barbel and chub. It wasn't particularly engrossing stuff, but seemed to be popular with those commentating and those watching.

 

But I was amazed that this puddle was stuffed with what is commonly acknowledged to be river fish and, even more so, that they were considered fair game for this sort of competition.

 

It seems to me that barbel appear to be firmly established as a still water quarry in the UK.