Have pellets washed out for barbel?

[JackPike]

I have noticed that recently I have caught more barbel on boilies than on pellets and towards the end of last season absolutely nothing on pellets at all my last double in March was on a boillie so have they lost the touch

[bloomin'reedsbarnard]

I have noticed that recently I have caught more barbel on boilies than on pellets and towards the end of last season absolutely nothing on pellets at all my last double in March was on a boillie so have they lost the touch

The reason pellets probably didnt work so well towards the end of last season is that high oil protiens dont break down in cold water as well as in the summer, infact the fish cant digest them too well either, so with many anglers chucking in handfulls of freebies then the barbs will feed well without having to risk taking that "funny looking bit of food with metal in it".

there was an experiment taken and it worked out that 4 23mm halibut pellets was enough to keep a 7lb barbel full up for about a week.

In the winter I always get the milk protiens out although last winter I used a lot of the BCUK bloodworm boilies, everything loves them.

also the start of the season is always dodgy as they have had three months living on natural stuff unless of course your rivers are like some round here where everyone goes to feed the fish at meal times

[Chris Plumb]

Barbel still love em - 1st session of the season on the summer solstice, I alternated between good ole Halibuts and Meteor Bollies from CC Moores. Caught 3 on the Pellet (4½lb - 6lb) and 1 on the boillie. BUT that one was a double - a fish of 10lb 11oz - my first ever June double....

 

 

Don't I look happy (not!)

 

 

C.

[JackPike]

We have had two barbs on a stretch of river which hasnt been fished for years both on boilies ,but nothing on the pellet yet this season

[Jigotai]

I didn't have a touch on pellet on the first day of the season and only managed 1 barbel on lobworm.

Last night I popped down the river and managed four barbel in a couple of hours on pellet, so I don't think they're blown yet.

[Elton]

Don't I look happy (not!)

C.

 

Chris,

 

You ever thought of taking up carp fishing?

[zedhead]

I remember writing on a brable thread before the season opened that my faith in hali pellets has diminished, not that pellets wont work or are a great bait for niave barbel, just that, like carp, in my opinion barbel have a pressure threshold and when they have been caught several times on the same bait, they wise up. I have switched to fishing purely naturals this season in the hope that i will have the edge on what everybody else is doing/using. Back to corn, meat, lobworms. It will be interesting to see what the results are.