Help!

[Kappa]

I was trying to catch barbel last night on the Thames near Oxford. I was using hair-rigged pellet. I was getting lots of tweaks and pulls with the occasionally real thump. However I didn't connect with a single bite. I was thinking maybe it was crayfish, however the 'bites' stopped almost completely just as it got dark. I've always found crays to be more of a nuisance after dark than before!

 

There was one bite I decided to not to hit and let it get away see attached!

[Phil Adams]

Could well have been crays mate, they can give suprisingly good indications sometimes. Chub are possible, but I would have thought that you would have connected with at least one eventually.

 

Try shortening your hair rig, so that the bait is tight to the hook, or disposing with a solid pellet and using paste molded around the hook rather than hair.

 

If your still missing good bites then I would blame crays.

[Chris Plumb]

Could well have been crays mate, they can give suprisingly good indications sometimes. Chub are possible, but I would have thought that you would have connected with at least one eventually.

 

Try shortening your hair rig, so that the bait is tight to the hook, or disposing with a solid pellet and using paste molded around the hook rather than hair.

 

If your still missing good bites then I would blame crays.

 

Sometimes a very good sign if the crayfish twitches suddenly stop - often means fish have arrived in your swim!

 

 

C.

[Russell Fitzpatrick]

i would say chub are responsible,dont forget theres mitten crabs in the thames.

[Anderoo]

Hi Rich

 

I was out on the Thames near Oxford too last night and was getting some seriously good bites from the crays. I had to give up using pellets because they were crunching them off the hair. Air-dried boilies were OK though.

 

Crays and swans - what a relaxing evening!

[Kappa]

Hi Rich

 

I was out on the Thames near Oxford too last night and was getting some seriously good bites from the crays. I had to give up using pellets because they were crunching them off the hair. Air-dried boilies were OK though.

 

Crays and swans - what a relaxing evening!

 

Yes very relaxing!!! If it was crays they didn't manage to break up the halibut pellet! Unfortunatley I bust my shoulder playing football last night so no fishing for me for 6 weeks!

I'll have to spend some time pre baiting instead!

 

Rich

[Steve Walker]

I've had unhittable bites from Thames chub. In my case it was on cheese paste in February. Unlikely to be crays at that time of year. I hit the bites eventually by changing to breadflake.

 

See:

 

http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/forums/index.p...mp;showentry=72