barbel

[The Flying Tench]

Sorry, I only half get it. I can see that lots of knocks may mean the fish are at the feeder, which means confident fish. But are you saying a big arch-over bite means the fish are not confident?

 

I can see that the slow pull-rounds I was getting could mean a wary fish, if it meant that a fish had got the pellet in the front of its mouth and was trying to suck it off without taking the hook. But in that case the strategy of shortening the hook length might not work?

[Chris Plumb]

I dispensed with the big bed of hemp approach to my barbelling nearly 10 years ago - I'm now very much in the feed pellet VERY sparingly camp (we're talking the Kennet here). As most of my sessions are very short - 4 hours or under - I rely on water craft and knowledge to put myself into a swim where I'm confident there ought to be fish and will often not feed at all. Plucks and pulls on the Kennet are very often crayfish though this year I've been little troubled by the blighters. I have though caught two dace (both on a size 8 with hair-rigged 14mm pellet) and a few chub when I have struck at some of the rustles! Try throwing a few pellets into a shallow gravel run (where you can see them) and observe how quickly minnows and gudgeon (or crayfish) attack the bait - I put a lot of the taps etc down to this....

 

 

C.

[kestrel]

It depends entirely on the water and the time of year.

 

On a small river with just a few fish, a kilo of bait in a day would be overkill. On bigger rivers like the lower Severn, you might need 20 times that.

 

Similarly, in the late summer when fish are packing on weight, they'll hoover up far more grub than they will in mid February when it's freezing.

 

I have a river on my club ticket that holds barbel, when do you think is the best time of year to fish for them ?

[Ken L]

Strangely, this thread has reminded me of watching monkeys steal guavas from a cart in India.

When the cart owner is nearbuy, and the monkey's are nervous, the od bold individual who is being driven crazy by the smell of all that fruit will saunter up, make a grab for a fruit and will be almost be running off before his fingers have closed - think big arch over bite.

 

When the cart owner isn't there (usually 'cause he's off chasing the cheaky sod whos just nicked his fruit) the other monkeys are confident that they're not going to get whacked and will all pile into the cart at the same time, craming as many fruit into their mouths and arms as they can - think confident fish jostleing the feeder.

 

Usually, fish grabbing a bait and running will hed of directly downstream and this will give a rapid arching bite. If youre upstrem ledgering, it will be a much gentleer pull over. Similarly, if the fish are peeling off for some fort of cover like a weedbed instead of turning immediatley downstrean, the bite will appear slow.

[MALC2]

As with most types of fishing a little and often approach will work, the most important thing with barbel fishing is the clarity of the water and the time of day you fish for them. Barbel are'nt as stupid as they used to be and can be found to only feed for short spells in the evening and when the river is coloured.

 

atb

malc

[goosequill]

Strangely, this thread has reminded me of watching monkeys steal guavas from a cart in India.

When the cart owner is nearbuy, and the monkey's are nervous, the od bold individual who is being driven crazy by the smell of all that fruit will saunter up, make a grab for a fruit and will be almost be running off before his fingers have closed - think big arch over bite.

 

When the cart owner isn't there (usually 'cause he's off chasing the cheaky sod whos just nicked his fruit) the other monkeys are confident that they're not going to get whacked and will all pile into the cart at the same time, craming as many fruit into their mouths and arms as they can - think confident fish jostleing the feeder.

 

Usually, fish grabbing a bait and running will hed of directly downstream and this will give a rapid arching bite. If youre upstrem ledgering, it will be a much gentleer pull over. Similarly, if the fish are peeling off for some fort of cover like a weedbed instead of turning immediatley downstrean, the bite will appear slow.

 

I like your analogy with the monkeys!!

[Judley]

I like your analogy with the monkeys!!

 

Next time i'm barbel fishing i know that that analogy will be in my mind! lol

[Dick Dastardly]

Next time i'm barbel fishing i know that that analogy will be in my mind! lol

 

Yup I like it as well! Do you see what were saying John?

 

Chris's post is very relevant as the Kennet and Severn are very different when it comes to the amount of feed needed. Ive found the same aproach works mind you just that in general you arent fishing for/catching as many fish on the Kennet so therefore you require/are using less bait.

 

I also agree with the comments re light and water conditions.In clear water the evening/early darkness are definately the best on both rivers.

 

I suppose I must give the pellet ago but its hard to deviate from a method that has been so sucsessfull for me especially when the amount of time I get to barbel fish is so relatively little.

[Ken L]

Eventually, everything comes down to monkeys.

[The Flying Tench]

Yup I like it as well! Do you see what were saying John?

 

I like it too, but I'm still not quite there. I can see that an arching over bite (cf the monkeys) can mean a scared fish, but I've been led to believe that I mustn't strike till I get an overarching bite! In other words all proper barbel bites are overarching! Si I guess the missing piece in the jigsaw for me is what does a bite look like from a confident barbel?