Dove at Doveridge

Hello everyone. May I start by saying what an excellent and informative site. Having read trough lots of posts on the forum I havent found any information on the stretch I fish at Doveridge. I am new to barbel fishing but have caught a couple of barbel but am catching mainly decent chub. Any advice would be most welcome. Thanks Steve.

Hi liam25,

I fish the DVAA stretch of the Dove regularly, its starts about half a mile or so downstream of Doveridge and runs down to two fields below Aston Bridge.

You have not outlined how you approach the river in terms of method or baits but it does not sound like you are doing anything wrong if you regularly catch chub with the odd barbel.

When I started fishing the Dove there were many more matches than you see today and the old timers told me that the Dove was a caster and hemp river and bread or cheesepaste during the colder months. This still stands true today but I find that pellet and or paste far out fishes caster for barbel during the warmer months and is generally more selective, by more selective I mean you dont pick up as many trout or grayling. Meat or Corn are always a good alternative and Hemp is still my favoured loose feed, with a few small pellets included. I tend to feeder fish the river for probably 99% of a season and really enjoy winter chub fishing using breadflake and liquidised bread through a feeder.
The river is not as productive for barbel or chub as say 5 years ago and I put this down to the growing otter population and increased cormorant & merganzer activity.

Simple this one this winter, water temperature too cold. Catch it right with some water on and a rising air/water temperature and you'll catch in most of the known barbel swims.
If the Dridge length you're fishing is a Fight Club length, the addage carries you don't talk about Fight Club only on Fight Club's site. Them's the rules as per Fight Club, so no intent behind this post, just a helpful word to the wise

Know what you mean regarding water temp but there have been barbel taken right through the winter months to date. Lowest recorded water temperature I know of this winter was 2.5 deg C when a barbel just short of double figures was taken, water was low and clear also. For my own catches to date the lowest temperature I have taken a Dove barbel has been 2.7deg C.

Liam, not sure if you are enquiring about PAAS water at Doveridge but if you are then your unlikely find any direct info on here due to the clubs publicity ban.

If it is PAAS water then try the clubs forum, you may find what your looking for on there.

Dan.

hello daniel.best wishes to you and yours.hope you are still getting the big barbel
albert