Barbel Baits

[tourist]

I have always used fairly traditional baits for Barbel... with some success, although the last few times I went to a river where mostly Pellet/HNV baits were used I struggled to get a bite.

Can anyone give me some ideas of bait/tactics for Swale barbel as I intend to get a few days in there over the next couple of weeks (that is if I ever get my Leeds DASA book...now about 10 days since I sent off).............


Les

[Andy]

Hi Les,


Can't help you with the barbel baits .... but I will try to chase up what has happened to your yearbook application.

[nightline]

I am a total traditionalist when it comes to barbel baits, casters in summer, maggots in winter and lots of 'em, lobbies and meat in flood. They work but I have to admit most of my barbel fishin' pals are pellet heads and there is very little you could say against them, they are cheaper, they can be forward bought, stored easilly kept for long periods, and they work, in many cases instantly.

In fact in some cases they cause mediocre anglers to become much more successful than they otherwise would be. The serious commitment I have always associated with barbel fishing success is a thing of the past to some degree as result of using pellets. I could not talk details - I don't know anything about pellets or how to drive 'em.

So the answer is a no brainer really. Don't ask why I don't use them myself either but I will say I have caught my share on king caster and the mighty maggot.

[bof]

Following their success on Southern rivers "the pellet" has swept far and wide. As Nightline has said they are easy to buy ahead, and store, a plastic sealable bucket of them will last for months.
All you need do is buy a small size for feed, and a large size for hook baits. The latter being fished either on a bait band, or carefully drilled, and fished on a hair rig.
Then if you fancy a change of hook bait you can fish a fishmeal boilie on a hair rig.
As has been said elsewhere the pellet revolution looks so different to the fish, the correct application has made a number of folk a good reputation. With cracking fish being reported week in and week out throughout last couple of years.
You can present your feed either using PVA net stocking hooked onto your rig, (the majority do this), or you could use an open ended feeder with a little goundbait plug, or a block end feeder with the holes trimmed into slots, (my preferred method as I am a bit on the tight side, and PVA stocking costing as it does, a fair bit).

BOF

[az]

tourist, it all depends on your choice of river and how much effort you are going to put in, all rivers are different but barbel tend to be of a dumb nature and are quite predictable in there feeding habits(eg flood conditions and after sunset)as far as baits are concerned i dont think it really matters, what matters is that your confident your bait is close enough to be picked up or should i say in a swim with a barbel presant, i always enjoy fishing a short session at topcliffe at dusk, single baits whether worm, boillie or pellet always get picked up and with non of those three proving to be the better in a confident swim.
pulling power baits i.e swim baiting with with h.n.v's are best left alone to rivers with dense stocks of barbel like the trent where reguler/constant feeding and effort seems to pay off and in most cases ive ended up with many multiple catches upto 15 fish a session, but its never mattered whats been on the hook its the presence of the fish and the build up of the swim kind of match style that pays off.
The way i see it is that if your on the fish and youve not scared the living daylights out of it, its as good as on the bank. what ever the bait.

[reel1]

ya gotta thank mat hayes for the sudden increace in hallibut pellets but they are the best thing around, been doing some research and found that cheese paste does well,also for chub, found another good bait,get all those unwanted snails in the garden,keep them in the shell untill on the river bank crack em open and put about 2 or 3 on a hair rig,all sorts love em.

[johnb]

i came into barbel fishing only recently and must confess ive only ever used pellets and pellet powder/groundbait

i always use a large open end feeder consiting of small pellets/powder with a large drilled halibut on the hook, ive had great success with this

just think how strong the scent must be travelling down river when compared to maggot, caster or hemp..thats the reason why so successfull imo

[niddman]

Up to press i've not had much success on the hallibut pellet, although many have had great success and it has become very popular. Most of my fish have come to more traditional baits such as maggot, caster, meat, corn and spicy meats.

I do believe that water craft and been on the river at the right time and in the right conditions are more important than the bait. Get this right and they will in the bag!

[johnny]

Im doing ok at the moment using old school tactics,Hemp and caster fished over meat or corn.Ive tryed pellet with not much success and could,nt bring myself to even try a boilly old habits die hard...Does anybody remember garlic sausage Mathersons,i don,t think you can get it anymore but i had some good barbel on the stuff.Im now hairigging my bait and use Korum hook lengths which ive had very few breakages with 8 to 10lbs line it holds very well.

[smithleback]

tourist, try late evening, locating ems the key,old skool still works aint no magic baits really every dog has its day[even tares once]

[av1nbarb3l]

johnny mattersons still do the garlic sausage they do a few different ones the smokey and a hot and spivcey one i dont know where your located but asda in darlo have a big stand with them on id guess all asdas have prety much the same layout in every shop and in flood conditions the good old lobby is top bait