Barbel, It's all about doubles

I will never forget my first two Barbel. They were both caught from the River Ure in North Yorkshire and they gave me quite differing fights. The first one was a fluke capture in the close season. The Ure is a Trout river and as such used to allow fishing in the Trout season from the first of April. The only bait that was allowed was worm(and flies) but that didn't stop us trying for other species under that guise.

I spotted a group of Barbel spawning(I know it was wrong now!-I was only young!) and I cast a big lobworm in the middle of them. One took it straight away and came into the net with about as much fight as a skimmer Bream. 

The second Barbel was caught in a much better fashion. I had read about Hemp and Luncheon meat and used them to good effect one hot summers day. This fish set off like a rocket and I remember finally managing to turn it some fifty yards downstream. I can still see the fight in my mind 20+ years later. It was a double and little did I realise at the time that it was actually a river record.

When I started fishing again in 2005 a lot had changed in Barbel terms, designer baits namely halibut pellets were all the rage. My first session for 13 years was down on the Warks Avon and I nailed an 11lb fish from peg 101 at Twyford. Sadly that part of the river is currently closed to anglers.

11lb 0oz Twyford

10lb 3oz

I caught several more on legered pellets upping my personal best to 12lb 4oz on a stormy wet day in September 2009.

12lb 4oz   25th September 2007

11lb 8oz      5th October 2007

My personal best had a touch of good fortune about it. We had been fishing overnight for Zander and I had landed two whilst Steve had blanked. He packed away and I decided to have one more cast in the weir where he had been fishing. Just one solitary bait with no freebies and it was taken by this 13lb 4oz beauty within minutes. I went home buzzing which cannot be said for my companion. click here

13lb 4oz   Personal best     9th November 2007

In 2009 I started experimenting with baits and had some good success using flavoured luncheon meat. It seems to work well on warm winters days.

10lb 6oz    27th February 2009

10lb 15oz     5th February 2010     Flavoured luncheon meat

10lb 6oz         3rd July 2011    Luncheon meat-static

Summer 2011 I started fishing a tactic for Barbel which I find much more rewarding than static legering, rolling meat. The results can be spectacular taking multiple catches in short sessions. Twice in a week I caught eight Barbel and several Chub. It works well because it is simple and because the bait is moving the fish do not have time to inspect it and reject it, they either eat it or miss out. I only fish it in daylight and whilst it does not seem to catch the monsters that you probably would at night, it is non stop action all the way. It works best in fast water so the battles are amazing too!

Best 'rolling' in 2011 was this 10lb 14oz stunner.

A brace of 'elevens' in consecutive casts! plus back up fish -click here for the full account

 10lb 1oz

10lb 2oz

12lb 6oz

11lb 9oz

11lb 2oz

11lb