River Fishing Tips | How to find barbel on a flooded river - Dai Gribble
In prolonged floods, barbel seem to gradually move out of the main flow into slower flowing water. I suspect this coincides with them having fed well and preferring to rest up in areas where they need to expend less energy.
Barbel will move away from fast flows in prolonged floods
This helps you locate the barbel as once the river has been in flood for a couple of days, they are more likely to be found in the classic flood swims where the flow is less than in the main river.
I’d look for the following:
Bends with slack water on the inside and a crease where the main flow passes by.
Cattle drinks where there is slow-flowing or slack water out of the main current.
Slacker water behind overhanging obstructions such trees.
Deep holes where the barbel can lie in slower flows beneath the main pace of floodwater.
Slacks downstream of large bridge supports.
Search out slacker areas of water for barbel in times of flood
River Fishing Tips | How to catch more barbel in the day - Phil Smith
There are a few things you can do to boost your daytime catch rate, starting with targeting waters that don’t allow night fishing.
A fantastic conditioned double caught in daylight hours
It may seem strange, but on venues where night fishing is allowed, it appears to encourage the fish to feed better in darkness, and less during the day.
I’d also recommend smaller baits, the obvious ones being maggots or casters. Bait droppering with hemp and caster, say, 10 droppers of each, then leaving it without casting in for an hour will get results.
Casters are a deadly bait in the daytime
For hookbaits, I favour hair-rigged casters or maggots mounted directly on to a size 12 hook. Some of my best specimens have fallen to these tactics.
Fake casters are a good hook bait to avoid small fish