Keith M
Well-known member
Most barbel angler fish with carp style/weight rods, big hooks 8s on upwards, and line of 10lb plus. On the Trent its 15lb average, small river barbel anglers accepted.
The float trotting angler is fishing in a style that is all about compromise, again in my humble opinion. He uses a rod that mostly takes 6lb mainline weight, small hooks 12s and less, often 16s and sometimes lighter hook-links.
From a method of catching/landing it really shouldn't work, but it does, and again in my view mostly better than the ledger. Remember too we only fish with one rod, the ledger guys can/do fish two.
It's a very involved way of fishing as your always doing something. As you plummet the swim carefully, you also know the riverbed better than the ledger angler. He will often cast directly into a snag and not know. He will learn, but will not know exactly where that snag is. I plum the swim the Harrell way, and it tells me all I need to know. I may lose a lead or two, but I'm learning in the process. I accept some ledger guys may plum a swim properly, but none I've seen. They arrive and cast out, so forgive me if I've not mentioned the guys that do.
Do I ledger yes, but always in the margins with as little weight as possible.
I float fish at times when I know a bottom bait would be a better option, but I just love the feeling of teasing the fish to take my bait, rather than setting a trap for them to fall into.
But it's only my way, and to those that only ledger and love it, good on you.:w
****y you are right when you said "small river barbel anglers excepted"
I learnt at an early age that both trotting a float and legering can be equally active on smallish rivers like the Kennet and smaller streams.
If I am legering I almost always use my fingers on my line to feel what is happening by my hook. I can feel through my finger the difference between gravel, sand or silt. I can also feel the difference between streamer weed bumping my line or weed drifting into my line or a barbel moving over my bait before a take.
Unless I am fishing in flood conditions I rarely need to use leger weights as big as an ounce and 75% of the time it's half ounce weights that I use, and often it's a short string of 5 SSG on a piece of nylon wrapped around the mainline. I use either 6lb or 8lb mainline only ever moving up to 10lb line in times of heavy floodwater or in hit and hold situations.
Because I can usually see the bed in low water I never usually need to plumb the swim looking for features as I can see them clearly when it's not in flood and flowing normally. When the water is coloured I often look for Barbel flashing over the bottom.
I like to occasionally trundle my bait along the bottom and even if I'm static legering it will be semi static as I will be gently moving my bait every couple of minutes feeling for any change or interest through my fingers.
I very rarely use feeders and lay a bed of hemp/small pellets etc. using a bait dropper or by hand or by catapult and occasionally in cold weather when I don't want a lot of feed I occasionally use a PVA stocking attached to my weight ot hook. It's not very often that I fish a venue where I really need a feeder; although I do very occasionally use one on the odd occasion.
Finally; I hate Carpbelling; by that I mean using Carp tackle and methods for Barbel, and sitting behind two or more rods and alarms just waiting for bites, I just can't see the point. I wince when I hear someone talking about using such methods for Barbel.
I also love trotting sticks, Avons and balsas and love using my pins when trotting too but that is another thing altogether Lol.
Keith
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Keith.
I think you're a little rare buddy, not one of a kind but not far off. I fish small rivers as well as the Trent, and still see the two rod set up that would better suit a river like the Trent?
On the Trent you cannot see the bottom, it's why so many swims are classed as un-fishable due to snags. Speaking with a chap on Monday, he moved swims after loosing 3 feeders (where does all the lost tackle go do you all think)
Feeling for bites is very old school but no better way to learn what a bite feels like. I have friend that free-lines on the Trent (binka does too he said) and he catches loads of big fish from the margins. Huge piece of meat on a size 6 hook, they still pull the tip round but you feel the fish piking it up as the line is always tight.
I think you're a little rare buddy, not one of a kind but not far off. I fish small rivers as well as the Trent, and still see the two rod set up that would better suit a river like the Trent?
On the Trent you cannot see the bottom, it's why so many swims are classed as un-fishable due to snags. Speaking with a chap on Monday, he moved swims after loosing 3 feeders (where does all the lost tackle go do you all think)
Feeling for bites is very old school but no better way to learn what a bite feels like. I have friend that free-lines on the Trent (binka does too he said) and he catches loads of big fish from the margins. Huge piece of meat on a size 6 hook, they still pull the tip round but you feel the fish piking it up as the line is always tight.
B
binka
Guest
Yes as you know I enjoy freelining in the swims which allow for it Rich, some of the biggest barbel I've had have come about by doing just that and it's nice to play them without the hindrance to the fish of dragging a large lead or feeder around, very close to the experience when playing them on the float imo.
I like float fishing. I am fit and healthy. I am 68. I get totally and utterly knackered if I try to float fish all day. I like to put out a lead on a buzzer and take a break to eat the sarnies and give my eyes a rest.
Oh to be 30 againmg:
Oh to be 30 again
mg:
theartist
Well-known member
I like float fishing. I am fit and healthy. I am 68. I get totally and utterly knackered if I try to float fish all day. I like to put out a lead on a buzzer and take a break to eat the sarnies and give my eyes a rest.
Oh to be 30 again
Mate even if you are 30 and you've been amongst the Barbel on the float all day you're gonna be knackered.
Had a mega first day trotting during that heatwave and almost killed myself in the process, yet I only fished for two hours, mind you it has been a few years since I was 30 too Oh to be 21 
mikench
Well-known member
At the moment I'm more inclined to favour the tip:w
Next time it could be the float!
Next time it could be the float!