Why can I only catch in a flood

I fish the Tees and in summer and try to catch Barble. This season out of twenty outings I have caught a total of six. Two in a flood during July and four last Thursday in a brief drop in the rising river.
I have been in swims nobodys been in, I know because I cleared the weeds out to get there and walked miles to find these swims.
I've tied going light, ledgering upstream, tiny baits, big baits.
I've read all I can and copied their tacktics, result nothing.
Talking to others, who are also struggling. The only fish are in the main are being caught after dark.
I work enough night shifts and just do not like fishing in the dark.
Along comes a flood, the level steadies and bang round goes the rod and out comes a 10lb fish. No baiting up, no special rig, no need to stay late.
All very frustrating, up until last season I could always manage a fish or two no mater what the conditions but last season and this no.
Any sensible answers welcomed.

Simply because that's when the barbel in the northern rivers are more likely to go on the munch. The only times I've had more than a couple of fish in a day on the Swale is when the river is flooded. If the Swale had as poor a head of fish as the Tees is reputed to have, then I'd anticipate even less than the one bite per session that I expect on the Swale in low, clear conditions.

Broomy - if you don't like fishing at dark how about dawn sessions straight after your night shifts?

Another suggestion - have you spent time not fishing (up trees if necessary and possible) to spot the fish. You may be fishing 50 yards downstream from where the biggest shoals are....

Feeding patterns - have you tried laying down beds of feed then leaving the swim till you can see the fish feeding competitively...leaving it an hour plus if required?

Last suggestion is....you've caught barbel during the prime times for barbel...how about fishing for other species when the river's not bang on for barbel but is perfect for other species?

Hope one of those helps

I wouldn't worry too much Broomy. If it's any consolation you're not on your own in finding things difficult. Us Northerners have suffered this season with low flows and just enough rain in the headwaters of our rivers to get peat run off. In these conditions life is hard for barbel fishers. My advice is to concentrate on other fish (chub maybe) until the Autumn rains bring the rivers back into condition.

Hi Broomy

I fished the Tees last season and never caught a single barbel! I fished swims I had caught them from in the past but still failed, the Tees is a very hard nut to crack! I cant offer you much advice mate, I'm practically a beginner myself but i just wanted you to know you are not alone. I know a few lads who are all in the same boat as us mate.
I have moved onto the Swale this season but I have a young family and my fishing time is very limited so I have still not managed a barbel.
One thing that has really helped me though is to put the barbel rods away for a spell and fishing for other species. It has really helped me enjoy being at the river again and given me a bit of confidence back.
Look on the bright side mate, at least you have had 6 out this season, thats 6 more than me and I bet 6 more than a lot of other Tees lads!

Matt

It reads to me like your timing/location is all wrong during normal levels because barbel definitely do not sit completely torpid awaiting flood conditions to feed, they're perfectly catchable during any stable weather trend be it hot or cold!

Ive give it a year on the Tees at dinsdale broomy with no luck at all, plenty of chub but not a single barb. Went to the swale for the second time last week and had a good take using the same tactics so im guessing not a large head of fish as sam says that shoal up in certain places when the river is not in flood(as mentioned by cg74). Well done on your 6 tho, six more than ive had out!

Thames steve, really hard job trying to spot fish up here. river is big and dark most of the time, like trying to fish an abyss

Hi broomy, are you a member of Whitby sea anglers forum by any chance?

Anyway I've spent many long hard years barbel on the tees, summer and winter and one thing I would say is don't fall into the trap of thinking that the Swale is anything like the tees ,because they are poles apart, the tees runs off very high ground and is subject to much greater temperature fluctuations than the Swale, it's flow is controlled some what by the various reservoirs, it's bigger and almost always carries some colour.

First thing I would say to you is that I have found that most barbel, that aren't getting hammered can be caught in any conditions, I think Matt can confirm that the first tees barbel he caught, (which I was there to photograph for him) was on a boiling hot summers day, mid afternoon on a painfully low river and I believe he lost a couple too. I've caught barbel on the Swale, tees, ure in exactly the same conditions, personally I perfer those conditions but that's just me.

Certainly on the tees as with many other rivers there is no such thing as a barbel swim, I prefer to call them barbel runs these days, it could be 50m it could be 200m it could be a mile or more. So the overhanging tree or river bed depression your catching from one day, then blanking the next, may simply have no barbel in it on that particular day, and that is simply because conditions have changed or food availability.

I would suggest you search both upstream and down for 2 suitable spots and fish all 3 in rotation, if the river is low then go with a particle approach, small pellets, caster hemP, Groundbait feeder, even float fish for them, plenty of barbel fall to match anglers every weekend on the tees, but most important of all find the fish and let them get confident on your bait. By this I mean bait those 3 spots before fishing them, and leave them to stew for a least a couple of hours. If you haven't had a bite in 30mins move on to the next and keep doing this, if they are there and confident on your feed you will catch

If you don't contact fish in your 2 new spots widen your search area, but don't be walking miles between swims because your not going to be able to fish then efficiently

The Tees where I fish certainly has had a lot more attention this season than in the past.
Three seasons ago I could take fish at any time of day.
I have tried in areas that have not been fished. Thats realy hard work involving a lot of walking and getting through the head high bankside vegitation. Even that did not work.
The river during August has had some good levels and flush throughs but the water has been relativly clear for the Tees. When it did work the water was muddy brown as opposed to dark and peaty looking. Strangly both time's I caught was from a swim thats been hammerd.
I am very taken with the idea of picking a length and creating three swims over say 500yds of river.
Anybody who is prepared to take minimal gear and walk away from the parking spots has miles of club water to fish.
Another thing has anybody else noticed minnows have totaly disapeared from the lower Tees.

Broomy mate, sometimes all it takes to get those fish that have seen a bit of extra attention to feed confidently is putting your bait in a different spot, chopping out a swim 30 +yards upstream or down often works, if the bankside makes it possible, make sure you cover your tracks too because someone will find it. As you say things are harder on the tees these days, mostly due to increased pressure and over ambitious use of pellets but the harder it gets, the sooner most will return to the ponds and leave the rivers to the proper anglers lol. Drop me a line if you fancy meeting up for a session, I spend most of my fishing time chasing bass on lures but I caught an 8lb barbel tonight so I'm still in the mix, when I get the chance.

Rich

Broomy

Over the last 4 seasons I have only fished during the day and only fished the float, I got fed up with fishing late into the night, watching motionless beta lights, so decided upon a sea change to my fishing, I have found that even on very hard sections, I can catch both multiple catches and also very big fish at times that are not generally accepted as being catching periods for Barbel.

My enjoyment of our silly hobby has increased enormously and to my surprise I am catching far bigger fish than I would have though possible.

Ok, I DO set my stall out to catch Barbel (mainly on Maggot Hemp and Caster), sometimes (not often) on pellet and I do not get that many bites, but I do get them and I do catch.

I must admit it is very easy to follow and do what everyone else does, and float fishing with a pin takes some little practice but I have found that not only is it a viable alternative, but a more enjoyable and far more productive method.

Keith,
are the rivers you fish infested with minnows? I ask because I've had a great deal of success floatfishing with hemp and maggot on certain rivers. When it comes to my local, the Swale, which is quite similar to the Tees in many ways, I've had an absolute nightmare, mainly due to minnows.

Been catching lately on Hemp and Berry/Tares/Black Pellet, because of the Minnow problem!!