Barbel videos of late...

[Keith M]

Why do I touch leger using my finger(s) across my line just in front of the reel when I’m after Barbel?

Firstly I rarely; if ever use a heavy feeder and I’m usually only using just enough lead to just hold still in the current, and start trundling if I raise my rod tip after its settled; Plus I’m usually fishing small to medium sized rivers so long casts are hardly ever required.

I always use at least one finger over the line when I’m touch legering because there are times when I can feel some indications before they have even started to register on my rod tip.

Sometimes instead of the usual couple of twitches followed by a 3ft takeaway; I get a feeling through my finger which feels like a rough file rubbing across the line as a Barbel moves over my line and which is hardly registering on my rod tip, and sometimes I can feel my bait being gently picked up which I also get sometimes just after the bait has been slowly trundling (not all Barbel bites are 3ft takeaways) and I can feel the difference between a bit of weed drifting into my line and streamer weed brushing across the line or a gentle pickup, which isn’t always obvious when your just watching your rod tip because all you get if you just watch your tip is the occasional dip or pull round of the rod tip.

That’s why I prefer to touch leger using my finger(s) across my line and with my rod tip usually (but not always) pointing in the rough direction my end tackle even if I’m occasionally pointing my rod tip slightly skywards.

I can also afford to look around me and take my eyes off of my rod tip occasionally because I can still be aware when something is happening down near the hook even if Im looking up Into the sky.

I realise It is possible for some people to feel these indications through vibrations down their rod but for me my finger is far more reliable and it gives me that little extra info of what’s happening down by my hook; and I’ve been touch legering since I caught my very first Barbel back in 1975 so have had plenty of time to learn to trust my finger, its not just a good nose picker ?

Keith

 

[108831]

To be honest the H.Avon is a very powerful river summer and winter,like yours,as soon as a bit of rain comes into the Avon swan shot are ineffective,but with heavy lines used today you can probably up the weights required up eh???

 

[tigger]

To be honest the H.Avon is a very powerful river summer and winter,like yours,as soon as a bit of rain comes into the Avon swan shot are ineffective,but with heavy lines used today you can probably up the weights required up eh???

I've never been lucky enough to fish the H avon Alan. I've just watched a couple of videos of it and it looks very nice!
I really think the flows on my local rivers will be much more powerful Alan. You've only seen them at their lowest levels. They are genuine spate rivers which run straight off the hills.
Arn't most of the southern rivers fed via aquifas after being cleaned through chalk and so for the biggest part quite tame ?

 

[108831]

Your rivers are powerful,but you have a lot of stones,boulders dont you,ideal for getting snagged,but also good for holding,the Avon always flows strongly and the bottom is mainly around 1" gravel,it is relatively short and steepish,flows come from the chalk downs above Salisbury,what happens in summer is the streamer weed grows lush pushing flows through runs,you rarely see the Avon without boils,even in 10ft or more of water,even the Royalty,which is just above the estuary and is affected by the tides flows pretty hard in the main around a mile or so from the sea....different types of river obviously,the Stour is totally different,with lots of steadier water,through riffles and weirs...

 

[ian g]

I enjoy laying on , mainly for perch on the Severn . I've learnt a good bit on this thread . I don't really mind how others fish but if you always use one method then this must be a bit limiting?

 

[tigger]

From being in my late teens i've always been facinated by those crystal clear chalk streams/rivers. Maybe one day i'll get to fish one, in the mean time i'll have to make do with the murky torrents up here lol.
The rivers I fish are also tidal, they get pushed back quite a number of miles from the estuaries also.

 

[Keith M]

From being in my late teens i've always been facinated by those crystal clear chalk streams/rivers. Maybe one day i'll get to fish one,

That's if they are still there Ian. Each year the aquifers are holding less and less water because of water companies plundering them and continually abstracting water from these chalk streams causing water levels to drop to record lows.

Its about time that they spent some of the shareholders cash on using existing and new water reservoirs to store rain water in times of plenty; instead of just depleting aquifers and blaming us for using all the water. Whilst our rivers are straightened and made to drain their water faster into the sea.

Keith

 

[108831]

When I wanted to catch a barbel as a young man the Royalty and Throop were the best places to go,then as I passed my driving test I went down on holiday for a few years,then joined Christchurch AC to fish their waters on the Avon,I was lucky,I believe I got the best out of the Avon,lots of swaying ranunculus,plenty of barbel and chub feeding in the runs plus lots of dace,some big roach if you knew where to look,now it is a patch on its former self,still looks gorgeous though....

 

[tigger]

That's if they are still there Ian. Each year the aquifers are holding less and less water because of water companies plundering them and continually abstracting water from these chalk streams causing water levels to drop to record lows.

Its about time that they spent some of the shareholders cash on using existing and new water reservoirs to store rain water in times of plenty; instead of just depleting aquifers and blaming us for using all the water. Whilst our rivers are straightened and made to drain their water faster into the sea.

Keith

Your right Keith, they could easily construct some new reservoires but they don't want to spend any money.
Maybe we should give 3 quid a month for some wells drilling ffs!

 

[steve2]

Your right Keith, they could easily construct some new reservoires but they don't want to spend any money.
Maybe we should give 3 quid a month for some wells drilling ffs!

Yes we all know we need reservoirs.
One problem with building reservoirs it is not the building but it is the same problem as building houses. We all say they are needed but we are all NIMBYs at heart.
A new Thames valley reservoir as been on the drawing board for years but was turn down at the planning stage. I know people who fought against it because it would spoil the view.

 

[bullet]

There's talk of a Desalination plant being built on the south coast somewhere, believe it or not.....

Conservationists slam Southern Water Fawley desalination plan

Southern Water insists the plant on the edge of the New Forest is needed to counter future droughts.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Keith M]

Yes we all know we need reservoirs.
One problem with building reservoirs it is not the building but it is the same problem as building houses. We all say they are needed but we are all NIMBYs at heart.
A new Thames valley reservoir as been on the drawing board for years but was turn down at the planning stage. I know people who fought against it because it would spoil the view.

Because it would spoil their view????

I would love a reservoir built close to me as long as it was landscaped fairly tastefully so that it wasn’t an eyesore.
and It was also possible to fish and possibly sail on it like a lot of similar reservoirs around the London area (which are no longer used for water storage); used to be.

I already have two such reservoirs within a few miles from me which used to be used to store water, but no longer are; and one of them is now owned by a private development concern instead of for storing water like it used to be.

Keith

 

[108831]

As I live in Luton I wonder where our drinking water comes from as there are no reservoirs near here,or Bedford,Stevenage,Hitchin and Leighton Buzzard,all growing towns with good sized populations,if the water is coming the water tables we are in deep poop.....

 

[Andydj]

I've watched two Avon Angling videos on the W.avon where the guy(who I enjoy watching)states the river is low and gin clear then goes on to fish a 2oz guru gripper feeder,which he calls small,which I considered was a fair size,he cast overhead and the splash was alarming,he never had a bite until just before dark on both trips,which were chub,then I watched a video by an angler fishing the Severn at Arley,now the river looked serate to me,yet he had an enormous feeder on both rods at least 3ozs,probably more,the splash was incredible,again he cast overhead about fifteen yards out,why in those conditions didn't they loose feed pellets(which they both had in their feed)with a catapult and fish with a maximum of 1.5ozs,as they would have definitely held with an ounce or so....it seems a feeder is paramount to success...

Yep I know what you mean. It's just carp fishing for Barbel. It's how some people fish for everything now. Personally I am trying to leave it all behind. Feeling for bites and striking. A great feeling when you catch one actually feeling the bite and striking!

 

[onemorelastcast]

Some interesting comments on here regarding feeders leads etc, I too just of late have dug out my float rods and light quivers, it really is a breath of fresh air. But what is is with those carpy overhead casts that just need s gentle underarm flick?
I do use small feeders and leads, but am always mindful of using the correct weght for the conditions, ridiculous the ordinance some use.

 

[Steve Arnold]

Enjoying the way this thread is going - even though the thread has little to do with "barbel videos" now!

My first attempts at coarse fishing were over 50 years ago. At that time it was all float fishing for me and I was a keen follower of the Billy Lane school of float fishing. To be honest, I considered "ledgering" to be REALLY coarse angling - akin to cheating!

But I did get my first 2lb roach using a link ledger, and the following day a massive dace. My scales said 1lb but they were not great for these light weights! Both these specimens were caught from a corner of a tiny weir as the flood was dropping back. very much touch ledgering with a high degree of feel and concentration - the bites were almost "imagined"!

My first barbel was caught when I stopped off at Topcliffe millpool on my way to Scotland. Again a link ledger job with my trying to fish as sensitive as possible.

Now, all these years on, I fish a river in France which is mostly too deep to see the barbel. It also holds a good head of carp to around 70 lb - maybe even bigger! It's been a very steep learning curve this last four years and I must have used all the ledgering techniques mentioned so far in this thread. Everything from link ledgers, method feeders, massive cage feeders and bolt rigs. They all have their day and their place - recognising which is quite the trick!

The only thing I have not tried (yet!) is float fishing. I have a couple of swims in mind for that, someday!

Those "YouTube" videos though? Agree some are truly awful and the perpetrators should be embarrassed! But there is a lot of good video and often some interesting ideas, I am grateful for this info as it has helped me catch a lot of fish!

 

[108831]

There are indeed some truly great videos on barbel angling(all angling),but when I think of some of the rows I had in my first stint on Fm with anglers who were involved deeply with the Barbel Society and believed in the barbel police,if they watched the videos ive seen recently they would have a fit,such poor angling practice is unacceptable imo,but to shove it into social media is a bloody disgrace as it will encourage others to act irresponsibly....many anglers on forums and on videos have had some great ideas,many that I have doctored slightly for my own angling,but so much bad practice goes on by supposedly experienced anglers,I see people breaking rods because they dont even watching what they are doing,putting stresses on brittle sticks of carbon that are totally avoidable... Ive said this before,but some anglers believe that because they have an unhooking mat that the fish are safe from them,but not understanding the basis of netting,unhooking and basic angling practice,this is a relative high number of people,everyone has to learn,and mistakes will be made,but not again and again,at least I would like to think not...

 

[nottskev]

The barbel video scene is overwhelmingly unimaginative carbelling. I saw (part of) one lately where a bunch of young hot shots - they seemed to think they were hilarious comedians, too - rocked up to a low, clear Trent in the middle of a flat calm sunny day. They jumped out of the van, set up the tripods, rigged up the big feeders and bombed them past the middle. They were so busy cracking "jokes" - oh, mate! Yeah, bro - and arsing about, they never seemed to consider if their tactics were in any way suited to the day and caught very little. There are some great videos out there, but lots of similarly dull stuff.

 

[108831]

Yep Kev,people fishing unimaginatively will never go away,doing,stupid things that can endanger the fish,themselves and their tackle show little forward thinking, imagine having 2 rods on a tripod in floodwater,barbel fishing,without having the rear leg pegged down firmly,then standing there trance like as the lot got dragged over by a ravenous bertie,my eyes came out on stalks like something out of Tom and Jerry, that is without standing 4m plus away from his rods???,I thought I was watching an angling version of are you being framed....

 

[108831]

To add to my above posts,I think because im an old school barbel angler,who fishes one rod,watching over it for any signs of fish,taps,bumps,liners etc which give me an idea of response to my feeding I dont get the carp angler approach to barbelling with buzzers and bivvies,add to that my preferrence to day sessions and I fish differently,again my liking for a firm rod rest if possible,or if not a feeder arm with my fat backside ensuring nothing is dragging the rod,frame or seat in fits my bill perfectly...