laguna
Well-known member
Swim upside down naturally i.e. not with any sort of swim bladder problem?
Dead right Graham, they so very often get hooked around the mouth when the bait rises above the river bed causing them to roll over to intercept a food item that is suddenly not visible.One I can think of that must do so is the Barbel otherwise I cant see how they would take a trotted bait.
Dead right Graham, they so very often get hooked around the mouth when the bait rises above the river bed causing them to roll over to intercept a food item that is suddenly not visible.
A bit like us when we loose the soap in the bath, it's never where you think it is ! .
Is this a wind up? Barbel rolling upside down to take bait!
Seriously guys cmon, next time i'm out i'll take some photos of them taking bait just below the surface and there's no rolling about at all, they are quite adept at taking midwater and just open the mouth an suck it in.
Why do you think Barbel "flash"?
Why do you think Barbel "flash"?
I look forward to seeing your photographs although imo they need to be video to actually see whats happening.
Agreed Barbel do flash and they do jump, on the Severn I see about four or five clear the water each day but don't see this on the smaller rivers, maybe it's parasites or to have a scratch after all most fish do this.
Rest assured that they don't need to go upside down to feed, I caught many last week in two feet of clear water fishing a foot deep. Which is par for the course each season. It's hard to describe the motion and a film would help, hopefully the photo's will show although that may take a while as I may not get in the swims that show this best for a while. If anything they don't tend to tilt much at all to take a falling bait, they rise in the water taking a shallow bait on an angle of around 20 -30 degrees sometimes on the way down they will take another at a similar angle, both times they suck the bait in, they will turn to hit a falling bait but not tilt. Sometimes when on the bottom they will be picking up the static bait and turn as one drifts by once again a quick suck and it's in. Fishing shallow they can actually be quick to rip the float under leaving a strike at thin air and fishing too deep this time of year can lead to less fish and more foulhooking. Any fish that goes off on a bonkers angle that feels wrong is foul hooked and those ones usually come off unless hooked in the pectorals.
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Ok turns out I do have a photo from last season showing barbel coming up for food but I can't upload it like I used to be able to - help
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Ok finally got there and it shows a barbel coming up (the one in front is on the way down) whilst not the best photo in the world it does show the barbel clearly rising for the bait, the white mouths tend to flare up like a chub when they suck the bait in. Looking closely there's a third Barbel on a right angle to the other two diving underneath them.
No wind up Artist, just the assumption that with such an underslung mouth and so many hookings outside and beyond it must be caused by barbel having to turn over somewhat and have a blind nanosecond causing a miss. Maybe it's a depth thing in shallow clear water in your case, mine is the more murkier tidal Trent thats often thirteen foot and more on a big tide--- who knows?.
Bang on Ralph :thumbs:
Crow - The Barbel was taking a pellet please take my word for it, as I caught it later amongst many others all of which were on the drop, all of which I could see take the bait.