Bertie/Barbel Fishing.

Hello All.
I am (as some of you already know) into Barbel angling. I always fish during daylight hours and have a PB Bertie of 12lb 10oz caught at lunchtime one day last July. Last night I made my first attempt at Evening/Night Fishing and was over the moon when I packed up at 11.30pm to have banked a 9lb 1oz, a 9lb 5oz and this beauty of 9lb 14oz

Something I will definitely be attempting again I think

Best Regards, Chubby.

Hi Chubby and well done, that is a magnificant fish.

I've done a bit of Barbel fishing on the middle severn, but never managed one like that, 6lb 8oz is the biggest i've managed to land.

What sort of terminal gear do you use for your approach on Barbel? I've normally fished the feeder, but think it could be wrong to target the bigger fish.

Phil

Hello Phil.
My terminal gear changes all the time Mate to be honest, I am currently fishing 15lb Sensor mono as mainline with a 900mm hook length of 12lb ESP Soft Ghost Fluorcarbon. I fish a Nash free running ring and pin system and Korum S3 Seamless (Barbless) hooks. I have just upped my mainline to be truthful after loosing a monsterous barbel recently which I would estimate at over 15lb
I do use swimfeeders that I have enlarged the holes of and generally fill them with a mixture of 4mm Halibut Pellets and Hemp. Just recently though if conditions/swim permit I have been introducing quite a lot of bait at the beginning of the session with a Baitdropper and then just loose feeding a little more by catapult as the day goes on.

Hope this helps, Chubby

Thats very interesting thank you chubby.

A hardened river angler told me recently that the "BIG" Barbel dont live in the middle of the river.

Do you think theres any truth in that or just a bit of a legend.

Phil

P.S Thats dissapointing about the 15lb er you lost. We could have seen that one in the anglers mail

Hello Phil.
It's a tough one this Mate, I can say that in my opinion the "Big Girls" spend most of the day under overhanging Willows etc and are more likely to venture out into open river at night and to baited areas. However my PB of 12lb 10oz was caught at lunchtime on a sunny day, with the river as clear as gin and took the bait from the centre of the river

I've had a double from mid river on the wye but that was when it was quite low.

Could be something in it, with the fish having thier "haunts" though

What a cracking looking fish Chubby

Well done that man, what time of year is best to target barbel may put my DVAA ticket to use for a change!

Hello Mate.
Nice to see you on here, on the subject of best time to target Barbel you are probably just coming into it now to be honest Sepltember/October can be the most productive months of the year depending on conditions of course!!!!

Is it better for the river to be carrying a few feet of water for the best barbel fishing or normal level?

I'm planning to have a go at them this coming winter and seeing chubbys photo's has wet my apetite.

Phil

Hello philthenet.
Most of the "Big Girls" are caught when the river is "High & Coloured" but I must admit I personally prefer to fish when sensible levels are around and the river level is Dropping/Fining down after the extra water

Thanks Chubby, I will be giving it ago in the autumn months