Barbel Fishing Methods and Tackle
Fishing for barbel can be extremely difficult if you don't know where on earth to start! With so many different setups and methods to use when attempting to catch barbel it can seem almost impossible.
Below we have listed some different approaches that we think are some of the best for producing barbel results. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced angler, we'll tell you what works, and where to apply it.
Ledgering / Bottom Fishing
Ledgering or bottom fishing for barbel is one of the most popular choices for several reasons. First of all it places your bait on the bottom of the river, which is the key place that barbel feed. Secondly it holds your bait in place in the fast river currents. The most important thing to remember when ledgering for barbel is that you want to use the least obvious tackle, as barbel are very suspicious and are easily spooked. This means using the smallest weight possible (just heavy enough to hold you in place).
The best setup is to use a long hair rig with a sliding ledger weight, on around 8 lb polymer coated line. The polymer coat offers some protection against the rocky river conditions whilst making the line difficult to see when in water. The best baits to use for this setup are large drilled pellets or bollies threaded straight onto the hair.
When you're all baited up cast out into an area of river that looks like a dip or a hole. Normally the water swirls or slows at these points, and are excellent spots for hooking barbel. One thing you must remember once you have cast out is to leave your rod well alone! Barbel can take hours to find your bait, so you must have patience in order to succeed.
Trotting / Freelining
If you prefer a more mobile approach to barbel fishing why not try trotting or freelining? With this method you simply use the most basic setup possible, which either consists of just a hook and line, or a hair rig and line. Bait up with a large chunk of luncheon meat, or a large pellet and cast out upstream into the river current. Then allow your bait to drift downstream or 'roll' and follow it by walking along the riverbank. You can always stay in one spot and simply recast upstream, but where's the fun in that!
Float Fishing
Float fishing is another method to use when barbel fishing, although it is not as popular as the others. Set up your float as you normally would by using a plummet and setting your hook just over depth. Then when your float has been weighted and placed correctly, bait up using 5-6 maggots and cast out upstream. Allow your float to drift downstream, then if you haven't caught anything, reel in and repeat.
The nice thing about float fishing for barbel is that you can have a very light setup and can keep active. With other methods such as ledgering you have to cast out and wait until you get a bite before doing anything.
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