Christened the spit today....

[Tigger]

Thank's Paul, you are right the fish are in tip top fettle and the fight they put up is tremendous. I was fishing a run where you have to hit and hold them otherwise they're straight under a snag. Most people wouldn't belive you can hit and hold barbel with a match rod, 6lb line and a 14's hook. I must addmitt i'm amazed myself how a little hook like that doesn't just ripp out under such pressure, the rods are literally bent double and every time I hook a fish there I fear the rod might just snap !

[Paulg]

I reckon it is down to having the confidence in your gear, and the knowledge of how to deal with a powerful fish in the swims you are fishing. It does help that a hook hold in the lips of a barbel are usually pretty secure Out of interest though, and sorry if you've been asked this before, what model hooks do you use?

 

I've just bought some Drennan Super Specialist Barbel in size 14 as I've been using the size 8's for legering for a few seasons and have been impressed at the length of time they stay sharp despite a battering on the river bed!

[Tigger]

I reckon it is down to having the confidence in your gear, and the knowledge of how to deal with a powerful fish in the swims you are fishing. It does help that a hook hold in the lips of a barbel are usually pretty secure Out of interest though, and sorry if you've been asked this before, what model hooks do you use?

 

I've just bought some Drennan Super Specialist Barbel in size 14 as I've been using the size 8's for legering for a few seasons and have been impressed at the length of time they stay sharp despite a battering on the river bed!

 

As you say Paul the fleshy lips on a barbel give an excellent hook hold and once in the hooks very rarely come out, i've found that on most occassions if the hook comes free the fish was foul hooked.

I use drennan super spades and kamasan animals (also in sped ends) for trotting, in the barbed/semi barbed versions. I like the presentation/way the spade end hook hangs on the line better than an eyed hook. I usually use 14's or sometimes size 12's for the barbel fished direct to 4lb or more often 6lb sensor, I really don't like hooklengths.

The super specialists are good hooks if your using eyed.

[Tigger]

I had a few hours on the river today, it was a slow start but developed into a decent session. I had small chub, a few dace and a couple of trout. I lost count of the barbel I landed, it was either 10 or eleven (not that it matters) and I lost another when the line was sheered off just above the hook on some hidden object and I pulled out of another due to the hit and hold tactics I have to use in this swim. Here's a few pic's from the session, one of em weighted 10lb 8 ounces, can remember which one it was lol....

 

 

 

 

 

I think this was the double...

 

 

[Tigger]

With the weather forecast looking a little on the wet side for the next couple of days I thought i'd slot in a couple of hours trotting after tea time today. I'm glad I did as it was quite a busy session ! There was a pain of a downstreem wind that made it difficult to keep my float going down the line I wanted it to but I managed ok. During the session I counted up to eleven barbel and then lost count (again), must have had another four or five. I had a few small chub, a decent chub and a decent trout also. I lost count of the number of times I had to cut my line off above my float and re-tackle due to my line being so badly grazed/frayed. When it gets grazed like that it's daft to carry on as it's only gonn'a snapat some point when playing a fish and knowing my luck it would be a clonker lol.
Anyhow, here's a few snaps of fish from the session....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 13, 2015 by Tigger

[Rusty]

How do house prices in your area compare with Oxfordshire Ian?

[Tigger]

How do house prices in your area compare with Oxfordshire Ian?

 

lol No idea Chris, but I thought you had some excellent rivers down your neck of the woods. Those rivers where CY and BJ fished in passion are on your club book arn't they ?

[Rusty]

lol No idea Chris, but I thought you had some excellent rivers down your neck of the woods. Those rivers where CY and BJ fished in passion are on your club book arn't they ?

The Kennet does provide some wonderful locations to fish but I can't think of any swims capable of producing barbel in those numbers, especially on the float.

[Matthew Simmons]

The Kennet does provide some wonderful locations to fish but I can't think of any swims capable of producing barbel in those numbers, especially on the float.

I can't think of a swim on the Kennet that's producing barbel in any numbers at the moment - it seems to be completely devoid of the b*ggers!

[Paulg]

I can't think of a swim on the Kennet that's producing barbel in any numbers at the moment - it seems to be completely devoid of the b*ggers!

 

Otters have decimated the Kennet barbel IMHO.

 

The only possible positive on all this is any new barbel stock are going to grow up (hopefully!) with otters present from the off, so they may not be as easy to be a food item. I was thinking about this a while ago along the lines of existing barbel maybe didn't know what an otter actually was, as it was however many years ago that they were present in the Kennet. This might make them less suspicious...until it was too late....I dunno, maybe just me trying to keep my hopes up that the Kennet hasn't been totally screwed over!

 

Back on Tiggers fish....more wonderful specimens....do you see any signs of repeat captures in your outings at all?