New Barbel angler

[strat100z]

Hi to all

Ex carp angler just about to go looking for his first Barbel on the trent and river Don,not been fishing for nearly ten years and recently moved to the Doncaster area and being surrounded by rivers have got the urge to catch my first barbel.Just joined the Cottam 2100 club after seeing there advert on here but cant really find out any info on the stretch,so any help will be appreciated.
Found a few likely spots on the don for the new season but its the Trent thats calling me.

Graham

 

[Graham Elliott 1]

Graham
You won't find it hard to catch barbel on the Trent.

I would suggest you start of with basic tactics.

2-3 oz open end feeder with few 10mm pellets inside blocked with some dampened hemp and hali groundbait.

Size 8 hook with hair rigged glued or banded pellet on a 12" tail.

Find a swim more than 5- 6 ft deep a couple or 3 rod lengths out.

Bang it out 5 or 6 times in the first half hour then if no bites reduce it to 5-6 times next hour.

Be aware sometimes on hard days you may have to wait a bit or till dusk for action.

Don't try tighten up too much to weight. Allow at least 3 or rod lengths of line out after hitting bottom before flipping bail arm closed. Watch your rod and don't leave it out if you are away for a coffee or wee.

Alternatively you have a self appointed barbel ( and everthing else)God living in Donny.
Pop round and see him.

Good Luck.

 

[strat100z]

Many thanks for the reply :thumbs:will take it all on board. You wouldn't have any info on where the Cottam stretch starts and ends do you,is it towards Torksey or after Rampton island as i think scunthorpe has the Rampton bit?

 

[thecrow]

Alternatively you have a self appointed barbel ( and everthing else)God living in Donny.
Pop round and see him.

image sharing

 

[flightliner]

Many thanks for the reply :thumbs:will take it all on board. You wouldn't have any info on where the Cottam stretch starts and ends do you,is it towards Torksey or after Rampton island as i think scunthorpe has the Rampton bit?

Strat, answered the above on the cottom club thread, what GE suggests is sound advice but keep an eye on the tides at albert dock in hull, if it's 8 metres and above you may just want to carry some extra leads , bottom end of the tide DONT ignore running a float towards the barbel, the feeder works well and is often first choice but its not always the one that works best every time .

 

[john step]

Watch the big barges. They take the bends at the deepest points. This channel is a good place to try. I have cast immediately in the wake of these big beasts and had a bite straight away. They don't mind boats.

I like to use long hooklengths especially with a big bow in the line.

There are frequent stories of rods being pulled in belonging to inattentive anglers. They are true. I was lucky to overcast and retrieve a rod when I forgot to engage the baitrunner a few years ago and it bounced out of the rest and headed for the Humber. There was only a small barbel on the end.;omg:

 

[strat100z]

Thank you for that will have a good look this weekend,must admit was a little worried about it being tidal and some of the stories of having to us 8oz and upwards to hold bottom

---------- Post added at 11:17 ---------- Previous post was at 10:51 ----------

I have been putting it off off but i gott to ask now....... who is the barbel god then?

 

[john step]

Thank you for that will have a good look this weekend,must admit was a little worried about it being tidal and some of the stories of having to us 8oz and upwards to hold bottom

Only in EXTREME conditions and when that happens its not very enjoyable for me. I do something else.

I would say though that there are some places where there are snags in the form of rocks and lines etc. It is often better to use more lead than you would suspect , if your feeder or lead rolls to stop being dragged into those snags.
IE hit the bottom and not move!
When retrieving I like to lift high and reel in quickly to keep the tackle away from the bottom. Longer rods are better.

Speaking of rocks...on the outside of bends there are lots of rocks placed to stop bank erosion. You can trot a float over them but when using a lead you would lose a lot of tackle if you don't cast beyond them.

Its mostly the outside of bends where you can fish closer and dont have to cast to the horizon but you have to balance the distance with the risk to tackle.

I have noticed that the very lower section of the tidal (the sticky gooey end) seems to have less of these rocky outer bends!

 

[strat100z]

Thats exactly the info i was looking for it makes perfect sense now to a river rookie.
Picked this stretch as it is usually quiet i believe and holds barbel and carp away from bivvy city and joining cottam was only £20

 

[flightliner]

On the far bank on a low tide you can see its a mud botton but the river there is on a geological divide between lincolnshire and nottinghamshire with the notts side being predominantly sand and gravel. The actual line isnt straight but fingers of each sides characteristics extend far into each county which can give a muddy bottom reach and a hard bottom reach , its the hard bottom bits you're looking for---a good tip is to look for cattle at the waterside having a drink, sometimes you will see some of them up to their bellies while others will be stood in mere inches of water meaning you have gravel/hard bottom close by, you can tell when your lead hits bottom which one you're on.
In a flood there are some slack areas that can save your bacon on the day.
Lots lots more but I'll leave you to sort out the rest which should be fun !.

 

[strat100z]

Thank you for that ?.roll on June 16

 

[flightliner]

Thank you for that ?.roll on June 16

Thanks noted-- respect my friend.
You,ve just been given the benefit ,experience and observations of many years of fishing the trent by some very generous anglers, knowledge that may have gone unnoticed .
I genuinely hope you can build on it and have some good catches.
It would be nice of you in return if you could let us know at sometime in the new season how you get on.

 

[strat100z]

Thank you for your genorosity it's much appreciated and hopefully come june it I will all come together .

 

[flightliner]

Thank you for your genorosity it's much appreciated and hopefully come june it I will all come together .

Just watch where you pitch your gear when its a nine metre plus tide at hull, if it eaches its highest point in the early hours and you're bivied up it'll feel like you've wet the bed , lol.
If you,re down there at the weekend pop over to torksey and buy this years tide timetable from the lockkeeper-- best £2 you will spend all season !!!