Remember your first barbel or double?

[richiekelly]

Benny, I doubt if any used the hair rig in '75. I believe that Kevin Maddocks and Lenny Middleton popularized it a few years after that date.
Jerry

I was using hemp on a hair rig in 1976 which was a very hot summer, the Barbel were difficult to tempt unless light tackle was used which was unfair on the fish, using hemp on a hair allowed the use of stronger tackle.

I read somewhere that match anglers at Bridgenorth also used a hair before that, threading maggots onto cotton.

 

[Paul Boote]

I can remember back to the pre-Superglue mid-late 1970s when I would painstakingly thread kernels of cooked hemp onto the finest mono available with a super-fine needle from my Ma's sewingbox then tying two loops of this threaded hemp to the eye of the hook. Did the same with cased caddis and, of course, maggots. The hook was bare ... why didn't think of tying those loops to the bend....?

 

[bennygesserit]

I have some lovely letters from Peter Wheat, that I treasure, and one of our discussion points was about hair rigged baits....and was it "fair"

He pointed out in detail in his reply that the Najavo Indians used hair rigged fish on a sort of trident hook in about 20 BC! or earlier.

Amazing.

Benny, you need to get out if you can and catch some more. plenty around that area. If you ever are around my part of the world, I'll happily take you out to try and at least double your score. You might have to pay your petrol though

you are correct and that is a lovely offer thanks ! I also have a fantastic PM resulting from a different thread , last year , giving me detailed instructions on how to find barbel in a particular , though uncontroversial , spot that I have saved.

My problem is limited time to fish - work and personal stuff , but I have some plans hatching

 

[Skoda]

I caught a barbel in a small match at Cattal on the R Nidd, Yorkshire, in 1970. I’d drawn a swim about two foot deep and gin clear; it was a very hot, sunny day. By midday I’d got two small dace in the net for about an ounce so I swapped over to a leger rod and wrapped a large piece of bread flake on a size 4 hook. I tossed it over under a willow tree on the far bank and got some sandwiches out. Drink in one hand and Kit-Kat in the other, the rod wrapped over and I had a tussle with a 6lb 2oz barbel. The organisers of the match wouldn’t allow me to weigh and return it so I had to put it my shallow keep-net all afternoon. It wasn't quite my first but it was my biggest barbel for 38 years.
Andy

 

[Damian Kimmins]

Can't say I remember either to be honest as personally they're not significant. I remember beforehand though considering it was very important.

 

[richiekelly]

I remember when double figure Barbel were a lot harder to come by than they are now, are they more common now because rivers are in a better state(not saying they are clean) is it because of crays or is it anglers bait, the old record of 14.06 stood for a long time and its a huge jump to what is the record now, any ideas?

 

[barbelboi]

Maybe something in it Blanker, the biggest barbel I’ve taken from a stretch of the Colne that is free of Signals, and angling pressure (very lightly fished) was slightly either side of 14.6 the couple of times that I caught it – other stretches produce much bigger fish..........
Jerry

PS I haven't caught it for a couple of years though, might be a 20 now

 

[freesolo]

I remember catching my fist ever barbel like it was yesterday, I fished a club match as a junior on the Severn can't remember the name of the section though (kinda sad because i would love to fish it again). Being from Northamptonshire i had only fished small rivers and when i saw the Severn it was so big i didn't know where to start I got some advice to chuck a maggot feeder filled with maggots and hemp into the middle every 5 minutes and keep my rod high in the air, took about 20 minutes before the rod jumped back and nearly tore off the rest and after a long fight i landed my first barbel, was probably 6lb, caught another one the same size and a 4lb chub to win the match. happy memories

 

[Graham Elliott 1]

Hi Blanker. Apart from the considerations you and jerry highlight its noticeable that the old long standing records I believe were by salmon anglers with suitable tackle.

Those days anyone using line over 4lb was pretty unusual when general coarse river fishing and barbel specialists were pretty rare ( they were considered uncatchable by many)

Practice then was also to take any decent fish to the taxidermist!

When i started in 1965 it was quite common to hear anglers tales of being smashed up multiple times often spoken with delight!

Greater knowledge of handling etc means longer lifespan also.

 

[S-Kippy]

Those days anyone using line over 4lb was pretty unusual when general coarse river fishing and barbel specialists were pretty rare ( they were considered uncatchable by many)

That's very true. When I first started fishing the Kennet for barbel circa 1972 I used 4lb line straight through and was considered a "yobbo" when I went up to 6lb. Mind you the Kennet barbel were generally of a very much smaller average size in those days....and there were NO signals ! Tiny cubes of meat worked well for me....that and the block end "Octopus". Never tired of catching Kennet schoolies either. Oddly I don't remember losing many [if any] fish...I was often weeded but we just stripped off & went in after them.

 

[barbelboi]

Yes Graham, unfortunately many decent fish of most species were killed and stuck in a 'display tank' as per the link below - they do however seem to omit the third of the record barbel trio caught by Wallis.
Jerry

Brace of Glass Cased Barbel fetch World record £18,000 | The Angling GazetteThe Angling Gazette