PB Thames barbel during brutal weather conditions
Laurence Hook was rewarded for fishing through driving wind and rain with a new personal-best barbel of 16lb 12oz from the River Thames.
The Oxfordshire angler cast a cage feeder filled with dampened pellets alongside a Bait-Tech Hybrid barbel pellet hookbait into the centre of the river on a fast-flowing stretch of the Thames near his home.
He said:
“I got absolutely soaked but this fish was more than a reward for sitting through those conditions!”
Laurence Hook – 16lb 12oz barbel
Is this the biggest ever barbel to be caught on the pole?
MATCH angler Brent Wilkes landed possibly the largest barbel ever taken on a pole when he netted this 14lb 14oz brute during a five-hour contest.
Brent’s 14lb 4oz barbel – best ever on a pole?
The 32-year-old told us his hollow elastic was ‘stretched to breaking point’ throughout the tense 15-minute battle on a flooded Bidford AC stretch of the Warwickshire Avon – which ultimately forced him to get off his box and travel downriver to keep himself in the fight!
He said:
“It was so powerful I had no choice but to head downstream with my pole and net in hand. I’d been snapped off by a barbel early on in the match so I was determined not to lose this one!”
The battle dragged on for 15 minutes…
With just a couple of minutes to go until the final whistle, Brent finally shuffled his prize into his 20ins net where he realised just how big it was.
“During the fight it only looked to be about 8lb, but when I saw its head and tail sticking out either side of the net I knew I had a true barbel of a lifetime,” he added.
“I’ve had carp and pike over 20lb on the pole before although this barbel gave me the best scrap – my arms were aching for hours afterwards!
“I’d have thought 5lb-6lb would’ve won the match judging by the conditions, but a boulder in my peg created an area of slack water where I reckoned I could have banked a big bream or barbel.
“Luckily the tactic paid off and the barbel added to a few roach I’d caught for me to take the win with 15lb 14oz.”
Brent’s new barbel best fell to a whole lobworm fished via a pole feeder rig over a bed of casters, chopped worm and groundbait.
Pop-up fools wary barbel - Carl Hill
“This season I set myself the target of bettering my barbel best of 13lb 4oz, and with the tidal Trent being in great form for big fish, I decided that’d be the best place for me to do it.
“During the closed season I walked miles of river with just a rod and a lead to plumb about, trying to find likely barbel-holding areas, and eventually I fished my first session on June 16.
“That trip proved to be the start of a long, arduous campaign and I endured 12 blanks in a row. I attributed the lack of success to the barbel not venturing far from the weir, which required exclusive access, but I preferred quieter areas.
“I wasn’t happy with my rig either, so I had a rethink. I’d been fishing a 16mm boilie and fluoro hooklink, and while this kept the mitten crabs and small fry at bay, I wanted something that had more attraction and looked a bit more natural.
“That’s why I swapped the boilie for a balanced hookbait made from a pop-up dumbell wrapped in a fast-leak paste. The idea was that the bait would waft around on the bottom. The fluoro hooklink was far too stiff for this approach, so that was ditched for a soft braid which would help pin everything down.
“At this point the second lockdown was looming and instead of travelling to the tidal, I explored local waters and settled on a stretch of the middle Trent that I knew quite well. The river had just had a decent flush through and the levels seemed perfect, so I headed to a swim that held cover in the form of a few snags.
“After baiting just beyond the snags with three bait droppers of hemp and maggot, a PVA sausage of mixed pellets was attached to my hooklink and I wrapped paste around the pop-up before casting the rig to the spot.
The improved rig included a braided hooklink, PVA sausage and a pop-up boilie
“I was field-testing a new paste flavour and I’m sceptical of new baits until I catch on them, but I needn’t have worried. Shortly after dark I had two bites from barbel of 8lb 12oz and 16lb 10oz!
“I thought the latter was a carp as it kited downstream and across the river, but the tell-tale ‘nodding’ sensation told me it was a big barbel.
“It was the fish I was after, and a great reward for all the blanks I’d suffered.”
Carl Hill and his 16lb 10oz barbel
Huge Hampshire Avon barbel leaves it late
“After finishing work at 3pm I headed straight to the Hampshire Avon, hoping to catch another big barbel.
“By the time I arrived I had around half-an-hour of light left, but this gave me just enough time to drop my homemade boilie hookbait and a PVA bag of matching freebies into a deep run.
“Just as I was contemplating packing away, the rod suddenly arched over and line started pouring off the reel spool!
“As soon as I connected with the fish I could tell it was a really good one. It was mint-conditioned, and turned out to be my second barbel over 16lb from this part of the river.”
Simon Daley and his 16lb 9oz Hampshire Avon barbel
WANTED! £100 reward for barbel catches!
MEMBERS of an angling club are being offered the chance to claim a £100 reward for catching a 3lb-plus barbel from the Great Ouse.
The cash incentive has been created by the committee at Buckinghamshire’s Olney and Clifton Fishing Association to encourage more people to go fishing and help establish a foothold for the species in the river around Olney.
The club’s match secretary and head bailiff, Ian Barnes, said:
“15 years ago barbel were common on the Great Ouse, but numbers have since dwindled.
“The EA has done a fantastic job reintroducing barbel into the river over the last few years and as a result, catches are now being recorded both upstream and downstream of our stretch at Olney.
“Barbel are the missing piece of the puzzle for our club, so hopefully this incentive will draw in a few more people.”
Members who successfully catch a 3lb-plus barbel can submit their claim by contacting Ian on 07761384822. An annual membership for OCFA costs just £25 from www.olneycliftonfishing.co.uk
15 years ago barbel were common on the Great Ouse, but numbers have since dwindled
Careful observation produces huge Avon barbel
WAITING for the right moment to lower in a rig paid off for Mark Woodage with the capture of this 16lb 9oz Hampshire Avon barbel.
The all-rounder had lain on his stomach for nearly an hour, observing three feeding barbel, before he braved setting a trap.
Mark added:
“I thought the barbel had spooked, but then I had an explosive bite.”
Mark’s Avon giant took a 14mm Big Squid dumbell.
Mark Woodage and his 16lb 9oz Hampshire Avon barbel
Monster Derwent barbel strikes within 15 minutes - Martin Allen
“Arriving at the River Derwent for 5pm, I began trickling in some 6mm pellets, chopped Vortex Baits C.K.O barrels and lumps of matching paste to try and gain the barbel’s confidence.
“Within 15 minutes of casting in my feeder rig something big picked up my paste-wrapped hookbait and ran straight into a far-bank snag.
“I managed to move her out and into the middle of the river, and following another epic scrap I eventually netted her, with my heart in my mouth. I couldn’t believe the size of the fish. She weighed in at 15lb 1oz – a new Derwent PB!”
Martin Allen’s 15lb 1oz Derwent barbel
Hookbait change produced my PB barbel - Dai Gribble
“During my latest trip to the River Trent I rediscovered the importance of carrying a variety of hookbaits in my tackle bag. I was struggling for a bite, but ringing the changes at the business end of my rig helped me catch a new barbel best.
“I had a bream trip planned, but due to torrential rain I just didn’t fancy my chances. The conditions were ideal for barbel, though, so I headed to a stretch on the upper reaches of the Trent for a late-evening session.
“The river had a nice tinge to it and was carrying probably an extra 4ft of floodwater, so my confidence was high as I walked the stretch, searching for a suitable place to fish. I settled into a promising-looking swim and cast out two feeder rigs, one with a sweet birdseed boilie and the other with a Sonubaits Code Red boilie.
“Half-an-hour later the rod with the birdseed boilie tore off, but following a short scrap the hook pulled and the fish was gone. I quickly rebaited my rig and cast back out, but after two hours my rods remained motionless.
“The conditions were too good to call it a day so I made a move downstream to another swim. An overhanging willow tree that created an area of slow water looked ideal, and within 10 minutes I had both rigs placed behind it – one upstream and the other downstream. Before doing so I’d swapped the birdseed boilie for one-and-a-half Sonubaits Spicy Sausage Barrels.
“The switch worked, and nearly an hour later my rod pulled violently over and line peeled off the reel. I played it slowly, but the fact that it was staying deep told me it was a very big fish.
“Following a few nervy moments, she surfaced and I got a glimpse of her size. It wasn’t until she was netted and I tried lifting her that I realised that I had a new PB. At 17lb 4oz it smashed my old record of 14lb 7oz, taken way back in 2007!
“The session proved how it always pays to take a few bait options with you on the day.”
Dai Gribble’s 17lb 4oz barbel came after a change of hookbait
Casters the bait for a best Trent barbel
RUI Pedro was rewarded for his decision to fish casters instead of pellets and boilies with the capture of this chunky 17lb 7oz barbel best.
The barbel fanatic travelled from his London home to fish the Trent at Collingham over 48 hours and struck into the fish before midnight on the second day.
He told us:
“I’d baited my near margin with 20 spoppers of hemp and caster and let it rest before casting out a running leger rig with 12 casters superglued to a size 10 hook.
“When she picked up the bait my alarm screamed off and line peeled from my reel. I netted her first time with shaking legs!”
Rui Pedro and his 17lb 7oz barbel
Long wait worth it for PB Avon barbel
NIGEL Kennard proved patience always pays off in fishing when he banked this immaculate 16lb 12oz Hampshire Avon barbel after a three-and-a-half-hour wait.
The Bournemouth-based specialist chose not to disturb his swim by recasting his rig, preferring instead to wait until his tip slammed round.
“The rig had been in place for a long time and I was just thinking of reeling in to leave for work when I got the bite that I was hoping for,” he said.
Nigel Kennard 16lb 12oz Hampshire Avon barbel
Large Loddon barbel bites after just an hour
JUST an hour after casting out, Lisa Loveridge struck into this superb River Loddon barbel weighing 15lb 14oz.
It was a new personal best for the 35-year-old, who fished an SG1 hookbait over a bed of matching boilies to induce a take.
She said:
“At 8.30pm I threw a handful of boilies over the two spots I was fishing, then at 9pm one of my rods absolutely screamed off downstream!”
Lisa Loveridge – 15lb 14oz barbel
Monster Thames barbel one of season's biggest
A THREE-DAY prebaiting campaign on the River Thames has led to the capture of one of the biggest reported barbel of the year at 19lb 4oz.
The fine specimen fell to Andrew Hodgson, who primed his swim with Sticky Krill Active boilies on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before eventually hooking into something special at 2am on the Friday morning.
“The fight was absolutely incredible and as soon as I saw it I knew it would beat my old PB of 15lb 12oz,” he told us.
Andrew Hodgson – 19lb 4oz barbel
How fish communicate
The fundamental ability to communicate is something we take for granted and is a skill that is common throughout higher animals. But what about fish?
Are they able to pass on information, such as the location of food supplies, warnings of imminent danger and the desire to mate? With the transmission of such information being so important for survival, it is hard to imagine that they cannot react to one another in some form or other.
Fish such as these barbel will react off other shoal members behaviour
Warning signs
Perhaps one of the most common forms of communication is body language and this is something that we see in many fish species.
If you have ever watched a shoal of roach or minnows moving almost as one as they turn in unison, then you will be well aware that fish do exhibit body language and react to each other. For this to occur, and for shoals to form at all, must mean that fish recognise other individuals of the same species. It is thought that this ‘imprinting’ takes place soon after hatching, with fish associating with those that hatch around them.
Body language in shoaling fish can also indicate the presence of danger, such as the approach of a predator. With an arched body and fins held erect, fish can signal danger very effectively. It only takes one individual to alert a huge shoal of fish to a threat, because the signal quickly passes from fish to fish.
This same form of body language could signal the presence of a rig or bait that some have been caught on before to others seeing it for the first time. It is unlikely that the naive fish know what is putting their shoal-mates on edge, but they are sure to react to it by being guarded.
Chub are a species known for being crafty and, in a bid to stop the fish relaying warning signals to any shoal mates in the vicinity, many specimen anglers go out of their way to retain any fish caught in a keepnet, or put them back well upstream of where they have just been caught (as most chub bolt upstream once returned).
Chub are known to bolt once returned, often spooking other shoal members
Show of strength
Most coarse fish do not have complex mating rituals or show off to their potential mates or ward off rivals. Other fish are much more showy. African cichlids use body language to perform complex mating rituals and to discourage competing males. The same fish also build large pits from which to display during their spawning courtship, the size of the excavation being linked to the size and fitness of the male.
Many species of animal, including fish, use displays to signal their strength to rivals. Even bream are thought to hold a territory and defend it from other males, primarily with a show of strength.
These non-conflict behaviours make a lot of sense, especially among species which have more serious armaments. Large sharks, for example, may swim parallel to other individuals in a show of strength that keeps them at a distance from their competitors’ razor-sharp teeth. They roll their eyes and arch their bodies to indicate their size and willingness to attack.
Pike can be very territorial and use signals to ward off rivals
Sound and vision
Some fish species are able to communicate by sending out sound waves. Fish have quite complex hearing organs buried in their heads that can pick up sound waves, in the form of vibrations, travelling through the water. Cod are able to communicate with their shoal-mates by producing a sound through their swim bladders. This low-pitched drumming can travel several hundred metres, alerting other fish of their presence.
Other fish species may make sounds as they crunch up tough foods, such as mollusc shells. This could alert and attract other individuals to potentially rich feeding grounds.
Rolling and especially jumping, often seen in carp and several other coarse species, could also be partially a response to finding good feeding areas and wanting to signal this discovery to other fish. The sound will certainly travel a good distance in water, much further than in air, so this remains one of several possible reasons for this behaviour.
Pheromones, chemicals produced by animals and plants specifically for the purpose of communication, are widely known and for many years were investigated in fish. While there still remains some evidence that fish can respond to certain chemicals in the water, especially around spawning time, much of the evidence suggesting that fish release pheromones when attacked or damaged by predators has now been debunked.
Although they don’t have the same communication strategies seen in other types of fish, exactly how coarse fish signal to each other remains a fascinating subject.
Rolling carp could be indicating to other fish that a good feeding area has been located
After work session for a new PB barbel - Neil Tristram
“As soon as work finished I raced down to a day-ticket stretch of the River Trent at Newark and settled into a swim where I’d caught a 13lb barbel a week earlier.
“There’s an area of clean gravel close to the near bank which I baited with hemp, chopped boilies and Elips pellets before legering a shrimp boilie wrapped in garlic paste over the spot.
“Just after 9pm the rod hooped over and I expected this fish to bolt downstream, but it just held in the middle of the river. I knew it was big so I took my time, but all hell broke loose when I got it near the net and it went on several runs.
“Thankfully my tackle held firm and I netted a huge barbel which beat my old PB by 6oz.”
Neil Tristram – 16lb 5oz barbel
Prebaiting pays off for beautiful trio of Avon barbel
TARGETING a new stretch of the Hampshire Avon gave Simon Daley a string of huge barbel to 16lb 3oz.
Prebaiting three swims with homemade boilies and fishing them in rotation, he netted his biggest-ever pair of barbel at 13lb 10oz and 15lb 13oz – with a 16lb 3oz giant on his next trip.
He said:
“I’ve now caught fifteens and sixteens from two separate stretches of the Avon. What a river it is!”
Simon Daley and his 16lb 3oz Avon barbel
140lb of barbel...on the float!
Robert Mitchell, from Bridgnorth, has fished the River Severn all his life but recently enjoyed his greatest-ever session, landing over 140lb of barbel…on the float!
Rob Mitchell’s catch included 36 barbel on the float
He told Angling Times:
“Armed with nine pints of hemp, 10 tins of meat and my float gear, I ended up catching 36 barbel between 3lb and 6lb. The action was simply amazing as the fish were stacked up in my swim.”
The fish were stacked up and weighed between 3-6lb
Chub also showed
Anyone witnessing Robert’s incredible haul could be forgiven for thinking that the Severn has fished it’s head off this season, but the truth is that many anglers on the river have struggled for action.
Robert believes that this is largely down to people not adapting their approach to suit the conditions that have prevailed for the majority of the past three months.
He said:
“It’s been very hit-and-miss this season, and I’ve found that using a moving bait has been the key to catching.
“I’ve talked to lots of anglers up and down the river this year and most seem to have been struggling, but they’ve been sat behind static feeder rods. If they switched to using a float rod or rolling meat through the swim I reckon they’d have found a lot more fish.”
Hemp, meat and float tackle is all you need to catch on the Severn
Rising river just the ticket for a big barbel
When you’re faced with a rapidly rising river it can be easy to give up and go home. Liam Twells was close to doing this on the middle Trent, but he decided to head downstream and was rewarded with this 16lb 3oz barbel.
“I couldn’t get to my normal peg due to the high river levels, but I settled into a swim downstream, and had a session to remember,” he said.
“I was quickly into a 14lb 10oz barbel which I was more than happy with, so I started to pack up at around 7am as I had to get to work. But then my right-hand rod hooped over and line was stripped from the reel!
“After a 15-minute battle the fish came to the surface and my heart started pounding. Eventually I got it in the net and was buzzing. What a moment!”
Liam Twells 16lb 3oz Trent barbel
Tactical tweaks the key to keep Trent barbel coming - Ian Potts
“This year the River Trent has been busier than ever and the barbel have been hammered this summer. As a result, the fishing has become challenging, but on a recent session I managed 28 barbel, 13 of which were doubles, topped by a 16lb 3oz fish, and I put my success down to a number of changes I made to my tactics.
Ian Potts and his 16lb 3oz Trent barbel
“Most anglers on the Trent pile in loads of bait, crash in heavy 6oz feeders and fish multiple rods in the same area. While this can work early in the season, a little more finesse is required to catch the cagey autumn barbel.
“The first thing I do is cut right back on the feed. I introduce just small amounts of bait and keep topping it up, little and often, rather than piling it all in at the start. Those barbel have been caught over massive beds of bait all year, so a more steady approach gains their confidence.
“I also do away with the heavy feeders and fish the lightest leads I can get away with alongside PVA bags of free offerings. This reduces disturbance when they hit the river, something that the fish have grown wary of.
“Many people fish through the day and night on the Trent, but I decided to rest the swim overnight, allowing the fish to have a free feed and gain some confidence. I also turn to a classic bait that’s been somewhat neglected these days – Spam. Everyone uses pellets and boilies, but a big chunk of Spam dropped in the margins can catch some big fish.
A big chunk of spam in the margins can still catch big fish
“I landed fish to 15lb 2oz on the bait, fishing just 5ft from the bank, as well as numerous other fish, but the 16-pounder came on a Vortex Cocoon fished over a small pile of bait.
“I’ll be honest, when I first hooked this fish, I thought it was a big river carp – the fight was ridiculous! It swam 60 yards upriver, and it wasn’t until I netted it that I realised it was a barbel.
“I’d just landed a 14-pounder, so when I lifted it out and realised it was substantially heavier, I knew it was something special.
“It topped an awesome session, all made possible by thinking outside the box and doing things my own way. If your local river has been fished hard this year, try scaling things down. The results could be phenomenal.”
Ian with a 15lb 2oz Trent barbel
Breezeblock Loddon barbel banked!
The River Loddon has dropped off barbel anglers’ radar in recent years, as larger rivers such as the Trent and Thames have taken centre stage.
But it still holds some fantastic fish, including this 15lb 4oz specimen landed by Liam Raphael.
Using boilie tactics, Liam quickly found he had quite a task on his hands after hooking the fish.
“It weeded me up three times during the course of the fight, and it took quite a few attempts to net,” he revealed.
“There was also weed coming down the river, wiping me out occasionally, but sticking to the task paid off with this breezeblock of a barbel.”
A boilie wrapped in paste and presented over a spread of around 40 boilies tempted Liam’s fish.
Liam Raphael’s 15lb 4oz barbel from the River Loddon
"Beautiful Colne barbel gave me the fight of my life" - Arthur Sines
“The tiny River Colne was not long ago believed to have been devastated by otters, but on a recent session I had a fish that I will remember for a long time.
“It’s a narrow, shallow and clear waterway, making the fishing challenging – however, this stunning barbel of 13lb 1oz took the bait just 30 minutes into the session.
“The quivertip slammed right round and I was into the specimen that gave me the fight of my life. It’s not a PB, but it’s a lovely fish from such a small river.
“A single halibut pellet was the winning hookbait.”
Arthur Sines – 13lb 1oz barbel