R
Ron Troversial Clay
Guest
Although barbel are one of our most popular freshwater species, and although barbel, including big ones are now taken regularly by many anglers, there still exists a great deal of mystery regarding their feeding habits.
There are times when you have them in your swim. There are occasions when they are obviously feeding. But try as you might you blank. Now personally I do not think that barbel are the most intelligent of our species, if intelligence can be applied to a fish. They are certainly not as wary as chub, nor as tackle shy as roach can be at times.
Yet frustrating they can be make no mistake.
Generally I think barbel spend most of their feeding periods digging into gravel, sucking in pebbles and eating the algae and other food items on the pebble and then blowing them out. I have watched barbel on the Dorset Stour, Severn and Swale, digging deep into gravel. I have caught barbel on several occasions that have had their lips and mouths red raw and virtually bleeding.
A result of stone and gravel digging?
I have seen barbel taking floating flys and nymphs with great abandon and turning upside down to do so.
I have also taken many of the barbel's close relatives on artificial nymphs and dry flies in a country who's capital is 10,000 kms from here*
Standard barbel tactics in England seem to be legering with meat, boilies, pellets, worms etc. But there are times when these methods don't work.
Should we under these circumstances start thinking a little more laterally. Perhaps we should take a fly rod? Perhaps we should use more natural baits? Caddis? Live minnows?
Lampreys?
**** Walker reckoned that a lamprey fished under the right conditions could probably be the best bait of all. Some of the biggest Trent barbel ever recorded in the 19th century were, according the JW Martin caught on lampreys.
Come on you barbel guys. How do you think barbel feed and what on?
What should we be doing when we are failing to catch?
And why is it that a barbel will refuse luncheon meat in low and clear water conditions, yet have it straight away when the river is running up and coloured?
Any ideas?
There are times when you have them in your swim. There are occasions when they are obviously feeding. But try as you might you blank. Now personally I do not think that barbel are the most intelligent of our species, if intelligence can be applied to a fish. They are certainly not as wary as chub, nor as tackle shy as roach can be at times.
Yet frustrating they can be make no mistake.
Generally I think barbel spend most of their feeding periods digging into gravel, sucking in pebbles and eating the algae and other food items on the pebble and then blowing them out. I have watched barbel on the Dorset Stour, Severn and Swale, digging deep into gravel. I have caught barbel on several occasions that have had their lips and mouths red raw and virtually bleeding.
A result of stone and gravel digging?
I have seen barbel taking floating flys and nymphs with great abandon and turning upside down to do so.
I have also taken many of the barbel's close relatives on artificial nymphs and dry flies in a country who's capital is 10,000 kms from here*
Standard barbel tactics in England seem to be legering with meat, boilies, pellets, worms etc. But there are times when these methods don't work.
Should we under these circumstances start thinking a little more laterally. Perhaps we should take a fly rod? Perhaps we should use more natural baits? Caddis? Live minnows?
Lampreys?
**** Walker reckoned that a lamprey fished under the right conditions could probably be the best bait of all. Some of the biggest Trent barbel ever recorded in the 19th century were, according the JW Martin caught on lampreys.
Come on you barbel guys. How do you think barbel feed and what on?
What should we be doing when we are failing to catch?
And why is it that a barbel will refuse luncheon meat in low and clear water conditions, yet have it straight away when the river is running up and coloured?
Any ideas?