Aknib
Well-known member
I'm having a rude old time with the big Barbel just lately, I've taken two fish slightly either side of fifteen pounds and smashed my float caught pb twice along with a fair amount of other good fish and something has occurred to me that might just have something to do with it.
I'm convinced that these bigger fish, who I also believe are resident to certain swims, are wary as to how a bait reaches them and that they are selective about the areas on the riverbed where they will pick a bait up from... I posted about the latter theory a few years ago.
This latter theory is an easier one to fathom, a bait that is anchored out in a strong flow where food wouldn't normally settle isn't going to sort out the better (and wiser?) fish imo but the first point is probably more of an important one in that I'm convinced that these bigger fish observe how food arrives and anything that arrives in an unnatural manner, such as bombed down with a lead and landed on their nose, will be ignored.
It could just be coincidence but I somehow feel otherwise on this one, the one thing I've been doing differently of late is easing a float down a swim and steering into position so that it looks as though, to a waiting fish, the hookbait has arrived there naturally as opposed to suddenly appearing out of nowhere and the fish then readily accepts it as it has arrived in the same manner that all the other food has.
If I put a lead out in the same area I'm not having anywhere near the same success yet by the time I've steered the bait down the river and into position under a float it often ends up stationary and the presentation is then just as it would be as if I were fishing a lead yet the float is catching me more and bigger fish.
I suppose it's nothing more than basic presentation principles at play but what do you think, is big Boris wiser than we think?
I'm convinced that these bigger fish, who I also believe are resident to certain swims, are wary as to how a bait reaches them and that they are selective about the areas on the riverbed where they will pick a bait up from... I posted about the latter theory a few years ago.
This latter theory is an easier one to fathom, a bait that is anchored out in a strong flow where food wouldn't normally settle isn't going to sort out the better (and wiser?) fish imo but the first point is probably more of an important one in that I'm convinced that these bigger fish observe how food arrives and anything that arrives in an unnatural manner, such as bombed down with a lead and landed on their nose, will be ignored.
It could just be coincidence but I somehow feel otherwise on this one, the one thing I've been doing differently of late is easing a float down a swim and steering into position so that it looks as though, to a waiting fish, the hookbait has arrived there naturally as opposed to suddenly appearing out of nowhere and the fish then readily accepts it as it has arrived in the same manner that all the other food has.
If I put a lead out in the same area I'm not having anywhere near the same success yet by the time I've steered the bait down the river and into position under a float it often ends up stationary and the presentation is then just as it would be as if I were fishing a lead yet the float is catching me more and bigger fish.
I suppose it's nothing more than basic presentation principles at play but what do you think, is big Boris wiser than we think?