first assault on the trent!

so, im guesting on a section of the non tidal trent this weekend.
its my first barbel session and i'll be fishing saturday through sunday.
the 'normal' approach is a 5oz cage feeder with pellet and groundbait with 2 pellets glued to a hair (14mm if i remember rightly).
my question is, what would you do to give yourself an edge over the other anglers?
its gonna be a 2 rod approach, its slow flowing but has a very strong current.
i dont think the lads that fish this stretch make a point of prebaiting their swims, so im thinking of a pellet mix bound with groundbait and catapulted out, one rod close to the opposite bank, the second 1 3rd back from the opposite bank.
i've been reading that boilies are accounting for alot of barbel catches in recent years, im thinking it may be worth putting a boilie out on one rod (or combination of boilie and popup, snowman effect) and go with the 'norm' pellet approach on the other?
so, am i on the right track fella's?
thanks in advance
Dell
oh, and the stretch holds good carp, bream and ofcourse, chub, which all would be a nice bonus

Hope you manage to find a peg on opening day mate

The best edges:

Long hook lengths

Accurate feeding

Use dead maggots

Consider float fishing

Keep quiet and avoid crowds if possible(walking more than 100 yards from the car park helps).

---------- Post added at 16:48 ---------- Previous post was at 16:45 ----------

Oh, and take some lighter feeders. Don't just assume that you need 5oz, give lighter ones a try.

Remember that the fish have ahd a few months of peace and quiet and all of a sudden all hell breaks loose!