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barbel. why?


scott bradley

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Can someone shed some light on why people seem to target barbel in winter? I remember reading a chris yates book where he says barbel are his species of choice through the winter months. I love fishing for barbel but ive never had a great deal of success through winter

Cheers scott

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Think its more to do with the challenge of catching one when its reckoned to be nigh on impossible to rather than just catching one when its supposed to be easier when its warm

 

Even in winter when you get that warm rain for a few days they will come on the feed so thats the time to be on the bank giving it a go rather than sat in 6 inches of snow with the halibut pellet approach



The other thing worth remembering is that Chris Yates is a bit of an oddball

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Think its more to do with the challenge of catching one when its reckoned to be nigh on impossible to rather than just catching one when its supposed to be easier when its warm

 

Even in winter when you get that warm rain for a few days they will come on the feed so thats the time to be on the bank giving it a go rather than sat in 6 inches of snow with the halibut pellet approach

 

The other thing worth remembering is that Chris Yates is a bit of an oddball

Can't help but feel that I wouldn't mind being just one step behind him on occasion though! :crazy:

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The well respected angler Keith Speers got awarded the Angling Times Catch of the year award a couple of seasons ago with a 17lb 15oz Barbel caught on one of our clubs smaller rivers; he also had a 13lb’er the week before and an11lb’er the week after all during one of the coldest Decembers for over a century with snow on the ground and all these Barbel where witnessed by several other anglers and club officials.


See photo of Keith holding his 17lb 15oz Barbel in the snow below:
< http://www.anglersmail.co.uk/news/gigantic-barbel-on-the-float/ >


Us other mortals do catch smaller Barbel; mainly when trotting; right through the winter months although it’s obviously not as active as it is during
the warmer months, but if you are prepared to fine down your tackle and use more subtle and balanced gear you have a good chance of finding them once the temperature has stayed settled for a few days or is steadily rising even when the air temperatures are still very cold.



Edited by BoldBear

Happiness is Fish shaped (it used to be woman shaped but the wife is getting on a bit now)

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What you have to remember is that in summer the weed growth can be phenomenal and losses with be high but in winter when weed is rotting off it is much easier to land your barbel without it weeding up. Early winter the barbel will be trying to build itself up for the winter period and will need to feed come what may so your chances are higher in winter of hooking up and landing your specimen.

THE MIND IS LIKE A PARACHUTE.
IT ONLY WORKS PROPERLY WHEN IT IS OPEN.

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Any fish living in a river, especially one which spates with snow-melt and constant rain, will have to eat from time to time. They can't just lie up and mope like their stillwater cousins.

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They can't just lie up and mope like their stillwater cousins.

 

That's the point Andy choose the species in still waters that will eat in the colder weather when you cant find the river due to it being sunk in a billion trillion gallons of melt water!! Perch / Orfe / Chub

THE MIND IS LIKE A PARACHUTE.
IT ONLY WORKS PROPERLY WHEN IT IS OPEN.

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I can't speak for Orfe or Chub but I always found Winter Perch fishing to be a right old pain in the rear. Not impossible but hard going all the same. It was the shoaling activity and the depth that always made things hard. In warmer months, when the Perch are on the move and spread around, you can catch a few and attract more over but when it's cold, you might never put a bait in front of one at all. Brrrrr.

¤«Thʤ«PÔâ©H¤MëíTë®»¤

 

Click HERE for in-fighting, scrapping, name-calling, objectional and often explicit behaviour and cakes. Mind your tin-hat

 

Click HERE for Tench Fishing World forums

 

Playboy.jpg

 

LandaPikkoSig.jpg

 

"I envy not him that eats better meat than I do, nor him that is richer, or that wears better clothes than I do. I envy nobody but him, and him only, that catches more fish than I do"

...Izaac Walton...

 

"It looked a really nice swim betwixt weedbed and bank"

...Vagabond...

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Maybe you should look at it the other way round and ask why fish for them in Summer when they aren't in their best condition, don't weigh well and oxygen levels in the water often aren't good.

 

 

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