barbel fishing

[TonyStone]

m off out one night this week to try my hand at a Thames Barbel. Going to fish into dark as apparently this is the best time to catch them on the Thames.

Seeing as my last couple of attempts were not very successful, I thought I would ask for some advice.

I know what im doing in regards to where to find them as I have spoken to several people with regards to location, just need some help on rigs and bait.

Any info would be helpful, cheers in advance

 

[Baz]

Have a look on the Rigs section for the rigs.
For bait, pellets (hair rigged) have got to be worth trying, plus feed smaller pellets and chopped boilies, or any old pelets broken up that you may have.
A couple of lobs on the hook is also well worth trying.

 

[John Huntley]

Tony
Stick to pellets,boilies or corn with chopped samples in your feeder or alternatively within PVA bags or net.
Lobs always attract the eels first for me on the Thames. Where are you intending to fish>

 

[Wolfman Woody]

Repeat of John Huntley's question - where abouts are you going to fish, town name etc?

 

[Chub King]

Find some gravel on a narrower stretch if you can.

 

[Chub King]

Er, read full post now. Big balls of Vitalin, pellet and boilies. Tin of meaty marine groundbait would help too. Feed after dark assuming no bream present. If they are, find another stretch! Then running, big groundbait feeders fished a few yards downstream of where you fed you balls of g/bait.

 

[Deecy]

Bream and Barbel often inhabit the same areas so just keep on going through the Bream and Barbel will show.They can be discouraged by the use of big baits don't shy off 20 - 22 mm boilies, after all we thought nothing of quarter of a tin of meat in the past. They won't deter all Bream.Ignore anything but bites which threaten to pull the rod in.Sitting on your hands helps Keep feeding ,don't just pile it in at the beginning,feed after every bite/missed bite or a decent ball of groundbait at regular intervals.In winter if we get one this year, continual re casting of a decent sized cage feeder can work but in very cold conditions make a very stiff mix of ground pellets and jam it in the feeder so it won't come out, cast and leave.The Barbel will find your bait but not get fed by the contents of the feeder.

 

[Chub King]

Good call Deecy. Still reckon you want to avoid those pesky bream! Enjoy the chub too as they really do go big in some stretches of the Thames.

 

[njb51]

Good luck avoiding bream on the thames! there are thousands of them! but like deecy said, just keep going and eventually the barbel should come in to feed.

 

[TonyStone]

thanks for the info guys, i havent had internet for a few days, so was unable to use the above info before I went!!!

I had a session for a few hours, well into dark, and caught nothing.
I was using luncheon meat over hallibut pellets.
i did try 14mm hallibut pallet hair rigged, for about an hour, but didnt have anything.

Going to have a session next week, will take on board some of the above tips.

The area im fishing is around walton bridge, have heard alot of good rumours of barbel coming from here.

 

[njb51]

Keep trying with the pellets. Pile a load of them in and fish a some yards downstream(depending on flow!). Also use a block end feeder with a load of smaller pellets in.

 

[Graham Elliott 1]

Very good advice especially by Deecy.

Bear in mind that the Thames follows a pretty similar pattern for those barbel fishing.

Daytime fish are often in weir sections but the river really doesn't come alight till late. The amount of fish, all species has to be believed that start to roll/top at dusk.

They feed typically at dusk for an hour and then a switch off for 2hours or more with most fish coming between 10pm and 2am this time of year.

Any success I have had, 2 x 13's and a 14lber involved small amounts of feed. This is because once the bream come in they stay around till the feed is finished. The main difference with the Thames IMO is that the bream shoals are so big they will not be moved on by the barbel but sometimes join them or more often precede, or follow them in.

Graham

 

[Graham Elliott 1]

To clarify. The barbel sometimes join them or more often than not precede or follow them in.

 

[Chub King]

Two 21mm halibuts on a hair, size 4 hook?

 

[Paul H]

I'd be quite happy catching the Bream too.
With two donkey chokers on the hair any bream taking that is going to be a specimin surely.