Go Catch a Winter Barbel – Martin James At one time it was thought barbel couldn’t be caught during the winter months, in fact I caught my first barbell back in 1951 when chub fishing with cheese on the Hampshire Avon when the river was high and coloured, I suppose up until fifty years ago most anglers didn’t target this fish after the first frosts. Today we know they can be caught in good numbers in winter, also it’s when many of the bigger fish are caught. These days I fish for winter barbel on the rivers Kennet, Ribble, Severn, Wye, Teme, Ure, Wharfe, Hampshire Avon, Dorset Stour, Loddon and Thames with as much confidence as I do in the warmer months expecting to catch just as many barbel as I would during the early part of the season. You can even catch barbel with snow on the ground. During the winter months we often get a few days of high pressure with night frosts and bright sunny days, these are not the best conditions for catching any fish, more so when we are seeking the barbel. My advice is to seek the chub, perch or grayling. After a few days of high pressure, the wind often blows from a south westerly direction bringing in a low pressure zone with rising air temperature and rain. If this coincides with a rising water temperature then I would really expect to catch fish during the daylight or darkness. If the water temperature rises from say 42 degrees F to 46 degrees F and continues to rise you need to drop everything and get out on the river bank. Many of my friends make sure they keep a few days leave so they can take advantage of the rising water temperature knowing the fish will feed avidly. Keep It Simple Far too many anglers seem to put this fish on a pedestal; others seem to think it’s an intelligent fish. In fact the barbel in my opinion is one of the easier fish to catch; chub are a far tougher quarry. I feel many anglers make it hard on themselves by using the same old baits, day in and day out. Talk to ten anglers and probably seven or eight of them use a cheap pellet or boily fish can soon wise up getting caught on the same bait. As the late Richard Walker said “Fish will eat anything unless they are taught not too” The way they learn is by getting caught. I’ve had great success with bread crust and flake, its bait that very few anglers are even prepared to use I also flavour my bread baits with cheese sausage sizzle or one of the other excellent flavours from Lone Angler range, but don’t fall into the trap of putting too much spray on the bait. Other baits I use are sausage meat, lobworms, luncheon meat, cheese paste and Pallatrax Jungle paste. Yes there are many times when I have had to move a dozen times before I’ve found a fish interested in picking up my bait I also get a big chunk of luck. These days I see many anglers fishing with rods far too stiff, in fact some of the rod I see in use by anglers fishing for barbel would make a good bass rod. I use Avon action rods between 11 and 12 feet designed for lines between eight and twelve pounds, again Lone Angler have given the anglers the tool for the job, it’s not a tube made in China but an English product which is helping keep people in the UK in work. Much of my fishing is done with a centre pin reel, it’s not a fashion item but a tool for the job of catching fish. I also use a quality fixed spool reel when I feel it’s better for the job of catching fish. For the past ten years I’ve been using Gamma line for its very good abrasion quality and knot strength I’m more than happy with this American product. I feel far too many anglers make it hard on themselves with the various types of rigs they have on the line. I use LG shot rather than a standard weight, though if I am fishing in clear water over gravel in bright conditions I use a Stonze weight. When baiting with crust I lightly pinch the LG shot five or six inches from a size 2 or 4 barbless hook, with flake, lobworms squabs and paste baits I will have a tail between fifteen and thirty six inches. The length of tail will depend on the swim I’m fishing. High Water If you arrive and find the river bank high you should have a smile on your face, barbel will usually feed, more so if it’s a rising water temperature. It’s now time to use a smelly bait, Cheese Mania paste is certainly good as are three or four lobworms. Look for a seam or crease where the water flow is quieter, fish will often be in these areas, you will also find fish tight to the bank or behind some obstruction that will divert the water flow. In coloured water glugs really do make a difference, I well remember Chris Leibbrant fishing with me on the Kennet, he wanted to catch some barbell, I dipped his bait in a glug then pointed to a spot where the water was slack tight under a willow tree. Within minutes he had his first barbel plus four more fish before we moved on to another spot. Other angler were struggling, I reckon the glug made the difference. I can’t prove the glug made a difference but from my observations over many years of watching fish react to various baits and flavours I’m convinced they can be a great bonus. I make sure I have several jars of glug plus bottles of flavours in my car at all times, and Cheese Mania is certainly a winner. Keep on the Move If I could offer one bit of advice to budding barbel anglers it would be to keep trying various swims. When I arrive at the waterside I take the water temperature, and then walk several hundred yards along the river bank looking for swims where barbel might be hold up. If the water temperature is above 46 degrees F I will put in a few bait samples, I then leave the baited spots alone for an hour or so. Back at base I will put the kettle on before putting my gear together. Roaming from swim to swim I travel light, in my shoulder bag I have scales, weigh bag, baits and odd bits of tackle. I carry a rod rest, a piece of sponge to sit or kneel on, a landing net and my made up rods complete my gear. I often roam two three miles or more during a day’s angling fishing every likely looking spot. Sometimes I will catch three or four fish from one swim before moving on. Yes, a lot of this is down to experience. The way you get that experience is by spending time at the waterside. Feel free to e-mail me with any questions [email protected] Pictures are of a winter caught barbel - Lone Angler paste squabs & glugs and flavour Cheese Mania paste certainly a winner not just for barbel but chub and roach
Posted on: Thu, 09 Oct 2014 17:16:30 +0000
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