River Fishing Tips - Quivertip or bite alarm for barbel? - Tony Gibson

Barbel bites are always positive so I don’t use rods with built-in quivertips – you’ll know when there’s a fish on! 

I favour a through-actioned rod with a test curve of 1.5lb to 2.25lb, fixing an isotope to the end if I’m fishing in the dark. 

Generally, I’ll watch the rod-tip when roving around on a small river or when I’m not planning on spending a lot of time in each swim. Alarms come into play when you’re in for the long haul on rivers like the Trent, fishing for 12 or 24 hours in the same swim and waiting for a bite.

I’ll always prefer watching the rod-tip – seeing it slam over and hearing the clutch scream is the best bit in my book! 

Seeing the rod-tip slam over is the best bit about barbel fishing!