bangs that dont hook themselves

[Sean Meeghan]

Mick Chapman took me up on my invite and fished with Matt White and myself 2 Saturdays ago. Mick is a very experienced angler having fished for Leeds in the national, but he's relatively new to barbel fishing.

Here's an interesting story:

On the Saturday I fished with Matt and Mick I had an absolute screamer of a take, rod right round, clutch screaming. It took a while to get everything under control, but I eventually netted a chub of just under 5lb.

On Saturday I was fishing the Don with about 2ft of extra in it and plenty of colour. I was using 2 10mm boilies on the hair with a paste wrap (the cane and pin appreciation society will blackball me now!) when I started to get gentle pulls and plucks. I switched to a single 10mm boilie on a short hair. Out again, 2 minutes wait, then the rod whacks round and the ratchet screams. It took a while to get everything under control but I eventually netted a barbel of just under 5lb.

The thing is, it's impossible to tell with any certainty from a bite what the fish is. Just as it's impossible to tell from a post how experienced an angler is!

 

[Richard Beadle]

Did my pal Matt manage to catch anything, I know he has had a bit of a lean year, you out there Matt not heard from you for a while

Rich

 

[Sean Meeghan]

No he didn't Rich. He had a few 'chub knocks' but that was all. The Swale wasn't in the best condition that day so it was always going to be challenging.

 

[Matthew White]

Lean year is certainly one way of describing it!!

How you doing Rich?

I should of stopped fishing the Tees earlier in the season and concentrated on the Swale. We will have to get out for a session together mate.

Sean - Sent you a PM.


Matt

 

[Richard Beadle]

Yes mate send me a text I might have a look out sometime this week if you fancy it

 

[Keith M]

The thing is, it's impossible to tell with any certainty from a bite what the fish is.

Yes Sean, I agree a Barbel can give any number of different indications and it is often just a guess as to what fish has taken your bait initially, and a Chub bite can often look like a Barbel bite initially; however the Barbel on the rivers and streams that I and others fish will; more times than not; give one of the classic Barbel bites and I am usually left in little doubt that it is a Barbel that has taken my bait once the Barbel realises it has been hooked.

I have been touch legering since the late 70s and I like many other Barbel anglers have got to learn through the vibrations that I get through my fingers on the line what is likely to be happening down by the hook and the classic bites that I am used to having on the streams and rivers which I fish are either two or three gentle knocks as the Barbel moves over my bait followed by my rod being almost yanked off its rod rest.

The gentle initial knocks are often mistaken or missed completely if I am not using the touch legerng method and instead using two rods stuck in rod-rests or using a quivertip; all I would then sometimes see is the violent takeaway; especially if my eyes have started wandering.

Very occasionally I get the feeling of the line being rubbed with a coarse file which feels somewhat different to streamer weed and which I suspect is the Barbel rolling the bait under its lips sussing out the bait before taking it properly into its mouth; and which often results in a Barbel if struck.

Sometimes when I am after Barbel and want to deter the Chub from taking my bait I will use a hair with around ½” gap between the bait and he hook and will ignore the occasional Chub take-away (where the Chub takes the bait between its lips and moves off with the hook still outside its mouth) unless the bait is pulled completely away from the taking area. Sometimes I will still hook a Chub but not that often..

Then there is the fight that you get from the Barbel which often leaves you in little doubt that the fish on the other end is a Barbel. Often it is hard to detect what fish has taken your bait but more often than not you can tell with a fair amount of conviction when a Barbel has taken your bait.

The hugging of the bottom and the sheer strength of a Barbel fighting in fast water until it is totally exhausted; unlike the carp which in my experience will fight like a devil but will eventually give up before it is totally exhausted and long before the Barbel does; plus the feeling that the Barbel knows its surrounds like the back of its fin and knows every snag, undercut and fast current.

Therefore in my view the statement “it's impossible to tell with any certainty from a bite what the fish is” doesn’t quite ring true; especially on the streams and rivers that I and others fish and especially where Barbel are present in any numbers.

Although I concede that this isn't always the case.