Thomas Turner
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What a summer and autumn it has been down on the Wye with endless big chub and, of course, barbel. Despite what you read in the media about phosphate issues, the coarse fish are nowhere near as disturbed by them as the salmonids are. Nor did extreme heat put the fish off in the least.
Years ago, I guided with Bob James for a while. I’ll skate over that, safe to say that BJ talked about “The Wye Method” which, whilst sounding pretentious, makes a point. The Wye is such a feature full river it demands to be fished with all your ingenuity and imagination. She is this endless mix of shallows, rapids, riffles, pools, bends, straights and goodness knows what else that mean you never get tired of working her out. And, whilst much of what I write here might be based on the Wye, please never forget that virtually every word is applicable to pretty well every UK barbel river. Anyway, what are the essentials of barbel lore as I see them? Here goes!
WATERCRAFT– of course!! You can’t catch barbel from swims that don’t hold them, that’s obvious. Yet, over and over I watch barbel fishers spend the day on pegs that haven’t seen a fish for years. What a waste! Basic rules. Take your time. Walk and watch. Take Polaroids and binoculars. On hot , bright days in low water, look for the fish themselves, flashing and rolling, there’s no better indication. In early season and in scorching weather, concentrate on faster moving shallows primarily. But not always. Barbel confound you with their versatility and can crop up anywhere. Look for snags and cover. Fallen and overhanging trees. Rocky structure, the old salmon fishing platforms on the Wye (croys) are prime. Weed, primarily ranunculus, is a barbel magnet. It’s just a shame that canoes and phosphate overload has killed off those great Wye water buttercup beds of the past. But remember this. Barbel know no rules. The Crabtree mentality works only to an extent. You can find barbel almost anywhere and only they know why some swims are favoured and others not. They are the masters of the river, not us.
A smaller wye fish steams off
THE SPLASH FACTOR
This is so important I nearly placed it first. Modern barbel technique is pitifully enslaved to feeders and heavy fixed lead set ups to the extent that outside flood conditions most barbel sessions are doomed from the very first cast. In normal water levels the splash of a feeder or lead entering a barbel swim mostly (if not always) is enough to set nerves jangling and the subsequent casts generally see fish vacating the swim altogether. Even if you are on fish, using heavy terminal gear can be terminal to your chances. I have seen this on The Wensum, The Bure, The Kennet, The Avon, The Ouse, The Teme, The Stour and above all, on the Wye, which I know best as a barbel river. I’m well aware that this assertion eats away at the foundations of present barbel approaches but so it should. Everything about my Wye approach these last years has been lightness and treading softly. Soon, I’ll come to tackle and you’ll see how in my barbel world heavy leads and bulging feeders are a thing of my past-heavy, flood conditions sometimes excepted. My results have rocketed as a result.
Barbel fishing with a difference
MOBILITY
I would never stay in a swim all day, unless I have clients who are not especially suited to walking and climbing. My whole approach is to catch one or two barbel max from a swim and then move on. This leads to endless challenges and above all keeps swims fresh and ready for another day. Batter a swim daylong and the fish there become ever more stressed and reluctant to be caught. Rod, net, bait bucket, pouch around my waist holding SSGs, forceps, baiting needles, spare hook lengths and off I go. It is not unusual to take my clients to three or four stretches and fish ten swims in a nine hour day. We’ll aim to catch half a dozen barbel and a sackful of chub and end the day in the bar tired and extremely satisfied.
Barbel fishing with a difference
BAITING
Most barbel anglers use far too little bait. The Wye is a big river with vast fish stocks. I’ll use around 5 kilos of bait most days and I’ll try to put bait in an hour before fishing or preferably the night before the session. My favourite bait by far these past two years have been Nash Squid 15ml boilies. I’ll introduce these loose either by scoop, by hand or by catapult. Putting in half a can of corn, a pint of maggots or a small bag of pellets barely makes a dent of an impression. You have to feed and feed big. Having said that, in quick water, double lob on a size 6 is a bait hard to beat at times. And a small dead gudgeon can catch barbel you might have thought totally impossible.
The Thomas Turner Classic+ Avon in battle mode
TACKLE
I’m not too fussed about reel choice and most clients prefer a fixed spool over a pin. But here’s a thing. In my view, what is the conceivable point of a great pit reel that I see so many barbel fishers use? The weight is exorbitant. The clutches are OTT. I use 2500 size reels that take 100 meters of 10lb line with ease. That’s around 30 yards more line than I have ever needed in my barbel life.
And of course, I cannot sign off without mention of the Thomas Turner Classic+ 11ft Avon 1lb test curve beauty. Too light? Perhaps if all you think about is whacking four ounce feeders to the far side of the Thames. For the touchy feely barbel methods I employ, these are the best rods ever made, without a shadow of doubt in my mind. They are a dream, a delight and every fight is a glorious , pulsating event. I still use Marksman equivalents but the Thomas Turner version is a step beyond.
The Thomas Turner Classic+ Avon in battle mode
NEXT UP
Of course, I’ll be going into detail about how I fish with my clients and talking about rigs and approaches . Here, I have just wanted to explain my philosophy, namely that UK barbel fishing has become bogged down in unnecessary dependence on complex rigs that hinder rather than help. What I am proposing is simplicity itself, a whole new way of going about things. you don’t have to take everything on board and you might cherry pick some suggestions and leave out others. But don’t forget, I celebrated thirty years of Wye guiding this July and my treasured clients and friends come back year after year.
I must be doing something right!!
The post Conjuring Up Coarse Magic – Barbel -Part One appeared first on Thomas Turner Fishing Antiques.
Continue reading...
Years ago, I guided with Bob James for a while. I’ll skate over that, safe to say that BJ talked about “The Wye Method” which, whilst sounding pretentious, makes a point. The Wye is such a feature full river it demands to be fished with all your ingenuity and imagination. She is this endless mix of shallows, rapids, riffles, pools, bends, straights and goodness knows what else that mean you never get tired of working her out. And, whilst much of what I write here might be based on the Wye, please never forget that virtually every word is applicable to pretty well every UK barbel river. Anyway, what are the essentials of barbel lore as I see them? Here goes!
WATERCRAFT– of course!! You can’t catch barbel from swims that don’t hold them, that’s obvious. Yet, over and over I watch barbel fishers spend the day on pegs that haven’t seen a fish for years. What a waste! Basic rules. Take your time. Walk and watch. Take Polaroids and binoculars. On hot , bright days in low water, look for the fish themselves, flashing and rolling, there’s no better indication. In early season and in scorching weather, concentrate on faster moving shallows primarily. But not always. Barbel confound you with their versatility and can crop up anywhere. Look for snags and cover. Fallen and overhanging trees. Rocky structure, the old salmon fishing platforms on the Wye (croys) are prime. Weed, primarily ranunculus, is a barbel magnet. It’s just a shame that canoes and phosphate overload has killed off those great Wye water buttercup beds of the past. But remember this. Barbel know no rules. The Crabtree mentality works only to an extent. You can find barbel almost anywhere and only they know why some swims are favoured and others not. They are the masters of the river, not us.
A smaller wye fish steams off
THE SPLASH FACTOR
This is so important I nearly placed it first. Modern barbel technique is pitifully enslaved to feeders and heavy fixed lead set ups to the extent that outside flood conditions most barbel sessions are doomed from the very first cast. In normal water levels the splash of a feeder or lead entering a barbel swim mostly (if not always) is enough to set nerves jangling and the subsequent casts generally see fish vacating the swim altogether. Even if you are on fish, using heavy terminal gear can be terminal to your chances. I have seen this on The Wensum, The Bure, The Kennet, The Avon, The Ouse, The Teme, The Stour and above all, on the Wye, which I know best as a barbel river. I’m well aware that this assertion eats away at the foundations of present barbel approaches but so it should. Everything about my Wye approach these last years has been lightness and treading softly. Soon, I’ll come to tackle and you’ll see how in my barbel world heavy leads and bulging feeders are a thing of my past-heavy, flood conditions sometimes excepted. My results have rocketed as a result.
Barbel fishing with a difference
MOBILITY
I would never stay in a swim all day, unless I have clients who are not especially suited to walking and climbing. My whole approach is to catch one or two barbel max from a swim and then move on. This leads to endless challenges and above all keeps swims fresh and ready for another day. Batter a swim daylong and the fish there become ever more stressed and reluctant to be caught. Rod, net, bait bucket, pouch around my waist holding SSGs, forceps, baiting needles, spare hook lengths and off I go. It is not unusual to take my clients to three or four stretches and fish ten swims in a nine hour day. We’ll aim to catch half a dozen barbel and a sackful of chub and end the day in the bar tired and extremely satisfied.
Barbel fishing with a difference
BAITING
Most barbel anglers use far too little bait. The Wye is a big river with vast fish stocks. I’ll use around 5 kilos of bait most days and I’ll try to put bait in an hour before fishing or preferably the night before the session. My favourite bait by far these past two years have been Nash Squid 15ml boilies. I’ll introduce these loose either by scoop, by hand or by catapult. Putting in half a can of corn, a pint of maggots or a small bag of pellets barely makes a dent of an impression. You have to feed and feed big. Having said that, in quick water, double lob on a size 6 is a bait hard to beat at times. And a small dead gudgeon can catch barbel you might have thought totally impossible.
The Thomas Turner Classic+ Avon in battle mode
TACKLE
I’m not too fussed about reel choice and most clients prefer a fixed spool over a pin. But here’s a thing. In my view, what is the conceivable point of a great pit reel that I see so many barbel fishers use? The weight is exorbitant. The clutches are OTT. I use 2500 size reels that take 100 meters of 10lb line with ease. That’s around 30 yards more line than I have ever needed in my barbel life.
And of course, I cannot sign off without mention of the Thomas Turner Classic+ 11ft Avon 1lb test curve beauty. Too light? Perhaps if all you think about is whacking four ounce feeders to the far side of the Thames. For the touchy feely barbel methods I employ, these are the best rods ever made, without a shadow of doubt in my mind. They are a dream, a delight and every fight is a glorious , pulsating event. I still use Marksman equivalents but the Thomas Turner version is a step beyond.
The Thomas Turner Classic+ Avon in battle mode
NEXT UP
Of course, I’ll be going into detail about how I fish with my clients and talking about rigs and approaches . Here, I have just wanted to explain my philosophy, namely that UK barbel fishing has become bogged down in unnecessary dependence on complex rigs that hinder rather than help. What I am proposing is simplicity itself, a whole new way of going about things. you don’t have to take everything on board and you might cherry pick some suggestions and leave out others. But don’t forget, I celebrated thirty years of Wye guiding this July and my treasured clients and friends come back year after year.
I must be doing something right!!
The post Conjuring Up Coarse Magic – Barbel -Part One appeared first on Thomas Turner Fishing Antiques.
Continue reading...