barbel fishing

[The Flying Tench]

Which is better for pellets? I've read stuff which suggests that on some rivers the barbel have wised up to hair rigs, and you get slow pulls where they are just holding onto the pellet in their lips, and when you strike it pulls the bait out of their mouths. In fact, in my limited experience, that happens to me on the Kennet. So maybe in such cases a bait band/superglue is preferable to a hair rig?

 

So it sounds as if it might vary from river to river? What is your experience?

[JV44]

Which is better for pellets? I've read stuff which suggests that on some rivers the barbel have wised up to hair rigs, and you get slow pulls where they are just holding onto the pellet in their lips, and when you strike it pulls the bait out of their mouths. In fact, in my limited experience, that happens to me on the Kennet. So maybe in such cases a bait band/superglue is preferable to a hair rig?

 

So it sounds as if it might vary from river to river? What is your experience?

 

John maybe the slow takes are signals ? i saw a bloke fish a short section of the Thames for carp that is a known hotspot for them and all the camo clad carp boys were blanking with boilies fished over pellets and an old boy fishing luncheon meat caught 3 so yes i think fish can wise up esp when pressured with one bait .

Love to have a magic camera on the end of the hook when getting strange takes to confirm what the culprit was ie screaming takes when deadbaiting for pike on stillwaters without being able to connect with them ,Chub , Eels or even carp ?.

You know the sort where the bait comes back looking like its been streched but no teeth marks steve.

[Guest tigger]

You can shorten your hair and have your hook right next to the hook or you could use soft pellets, luncheon meat,corn, worm as well as other baits you can put directly on your hook. Don't forget FT you get better results after dark especially on water with lots of pressure.

[Neil G]

Hair rig for me but I fish a stetch where the barbel seem to be either smashing baits with confidence or not bothering at all.

[Chris Plumb]

and you get slow pulls where they are just holding onto the pellet in their lips,

 

Could be chub - or signals!!! I have a band attached to a short hair so that the hook sits flush with the pellet. I also use hook skins to disguise the hook and give it a bit of bouyancy. Crucially I always carry a hacksaw blade and cut a groove all the way around the pellet for the band to sit in - I also use the very smallest of bands. Consequently I will usually get my pellet back on the strike and can often then diagnose whether or not I'm getting Signal activity or not (pellet will be nibbled away at!)

 

Picture of my usual barbel rig - though the bait band is bigger than I'd usually use.

 

 

C.

Edited September 5, 2008 by Chris Plumb

[lutra]

Which is better for pellets? I've read stuff which suggests that on some rivers the barbel have wised up to hair rigs, and you get slow pulls where they are just holding onto the pellet in their lips, and when you strike it pulls the bait out of their mouths. In fact, in my limited experience, that happens to me on the Kennet. So maybe in such cases a bait band/superglue is preferable to a hair rig?

 

So it sounds as if it might vary from river to river? What is your experience?

 

Ive sat up many a tree when the water has been running clear watching shoals of barbel and trying to get them to feed. Ive watched as Ive flicked a single 8mm pellet up stream and the shoal just parts as it round through them. The conclusion Ive come to is that they are not only more rig shy when the water is clear, but more shy of large baits to. This seems true in my fishing to as my better catches in day light when the water is clear have been on small baits.

 

though the bait band is bigger than I'd usually use.

 

May be a hint of this finding in the post from Chris to.

[The Flying Tench]

and you get slow pulls where they are just holding onto the pellet in their lips,

 

Could be chub - or signals!!! I have a band attached to a short hair so that the hook sits flush with the pellet. I also use hook skins to disguise the hook and give it a bit of bouyancy. Crucially I always carry a hacksaw blade and cut a groove all the way around the pellet for the band to sit in - I also use the very smallest of bands. Consequently I will usually get my pellet back on the strike and can often then diagnose whether or not I'm getting Signal activity or not (pellet will be nibbled away at!)

 

Picture of my usual barbel rig - though the bait band is bigger than I'd usually use.

 

 

C.

The last time I experienced the slow pulls I was fishing with meat on the hook (no hair). I got the bait back most times and there were no nibbles so I guess I think it was barbel or chub.

 

Chris, thanks for taking the trouble to photograph and post your rig. Very interesting. I can see the point of the hair, but it would still be possible in theory for a fish to hold the bait in its lips and not have the hook in its mouth. Have you tried just having the bait band round the hook? And if so did you get less bites than with the hair, or is that impossible to quantify?

 

Likewise with the hook skin. You could argue that it actually makes the hook more visible, not less! I realise that is unlikely to be the case in practice as otherwise people wouldn't use them, but it would be interesting to know if when you started to use this approach you were able to discern an increase of bites/hookings.

 

John

[Guest Rabbit]

Really good question, and I do feel bait bands are rejected in favour of hair rigging without due thought, Certainly on rivers such as the Wye a bait banded pellet will out fish a hair at times simply making it harder for the chub to nick by scoring a groove around the pellet that the band will sit in to prevent the bait being nicked by the chub, so giving the barbel a chance.

Chub can actually see the bait whereas a barbel will feel the bait due to its under slung mouth and so can be easier to fool.

Hair rigging is better for presentation especially with elipse pellets when two or three can be mounted on a hair. But hair rigging is fiddly, especially in the evenings and night where a band is much quicker to change.

Personally I believe the length of hook length to be more critical that hair vs band, but that's another question.

[Guest Rabbit]

John maybe the slow takes are signals ? i saw a bloke fish a short section of the Thames for carp that is a known hotspot for them and all the camo clad carp boys were blanking with boilies fished over pellets and an old boy fishing luncheon meat caught 3 so yes i think fish can wise up esp when pressured with one bait .

Love to have a magic camera on the end of the hook when getting strange takes to confirm what the culprit was ie screaming takes when deadbaitingfor pike on stillwaters without being able to connect with them ,Chub , Eels or even carp ?.

You know the sort where the bait comes back looking like its been streched but no teeth marks steve.

 

There was a feature on Tight Llines this evening that showed through an underwater camera that barbel are not, well in this instance, not bothered by distractions such as a hook or ledger, this was proved by a attachment of a weighted toy whale just a few inches from hookless bait. The hooklength visibility was covered too, and the results were that barbel were spooked by flouro because they couldn't see it but felt it and that spooked them.

mmmmm sort of gives us serious food for thought, perhaps all this camou, invisibility and so on has been overplayed somewhat and really its just a case of feeding them loads to get them in your swim, and keeping yer 'ead down.

Edited September 5, 2008 by Rabbit

[Chris Plumb]

The last time I experienced the slow pulls I was fishing with meat on the hook (no hair). I got the bait back most times and there were no nibbles so I guess I think it was barbel or chub.

 

Chris, thanks for taking the trouble to photograph and post your rig. Very interesting. I can see the point of the hair, but it would still be possible in theory for a fish to hold the bait in its lips and not have the hook in its mouth. Have you tried just having the bait band round the hook? And if so did you get less bites than with the hair, or is that impossible to quantify?

 

Likewise with the hook skin. You could argue that it actually makes the hook more visible, not less! I realise that is unlikely to be the case in practice as otherwise people wouldn't use them, but it would be interesting to know if when you started to use this approach you were able to discern an increase of bites/hookings.

 

John

 

John - the rig I posted is one I have a LOT of confidence in - which obviously means everything in angling! I used to attach the band straight to the hook but switched to a hair approach when I started using hookskins (about 6 years ago)- can't swear for sure my catch rate has improved - but I 'believe' it has!!! As for skin making the hook more obvious - try a little experiment. Place a rig in a gravel run with a hook skin on and compare it without. I feel that the skin breaks up the shape of the hook - and certainly in bright conditions disguises the hook - it definitely appears less visible 'to my eye'. I also worry that barbel may be able to feel and exposed hook with their barbules - and consequently not take a hair-rigged bait. No evidence for this but it's why I persist with skins even at night - as I said it's a confidence thing!!!

 

 

C.