One rod or two rods for barbel

[Alan Whitty]

The OP asked the question and he already knew my answer, but seeked a consensus of opinions, having watched supposed top carp anglers on YouTube fishing a variety of venues experiencing all my fears, tangling with other lines playing hooked fish etc and that on lakes with more water to play with in the main....

 

[chevin4]

The OP asked the question and he already knew my answer, but seeked a consensus of opinions, having watched supposed top carp anglers on YouTube fishing a variety of venues experiencing all my fears, tangling with other lines playing hooked fish etc and that on lakes with more water to play with in the main....

The standard set-up for gravel pit carp fishing is three rods on a pod closely together. For me this is a recipe for disaster in inexperienced hands. Many of the top tench anglers also arrange their rod's this way. On the rare occasions I use 3 rods for tench and pike I make sure there is a gap between the rods. If I hook a decent fish I drop the tips of the other two rods to make sure the lines are well sunk to avoid tangles

 

[Steve Arnold]

Using just two rods I have had a few tangles whilst playing fish, if you are fishing on your own three or four rods fishing must be hell!

I see the four rod brigade frequently here in France, the rules say you can so I guess some must. So far I have only seen these types catch a fish once. Luckily the angler had his mate to help sort the other rods during the fight.

On one occasion I was fishing two rods during an unexpected downpour. I pulled my jacket hood over my head and, having no waterproof trousers, put the fish mat over my legs. First one rods shows some tremors, then the other, my thoughts were "don't take the bait, PLEASE!"

Of course, in the same instant, they both buckled over. Two barbel of about 6 lb at the same time and I got a soaking sorting them out.

Lots of reasons I like one rod fishing better

 

[Goldfish]

I suppose it all depends on how you want to fish. If you're a busy angler rolling meat, touch ledgering or casting a feeder every few minutes then 2 rods isn't really viable and a sleeper rod wouldn't double your chances of catching barbel. If however you're a bit of a chilled out angler casting your rod out once an hour, sitting back reading a newspaper, putting minimal amount of effort into your fishing, then 2 rods probably does double your chances however slim your chances may be.
Someone earlier said its not about ratios and that's very true its just how you like to fish. Fishing with a friend would be easier to fish two rods. The chances of two fish being on your two rods and then he gets a pick up on one of his rods must be very slim. Fishing by yourself I would find two rods quite stressful and seeing that most of the time I fish by myself I'll continue to fish just one rod. Also you can't really compare barbel fishing to carp fishing using two rods. With carp fishing you can tuck the lines down with back leads making it less likely to pick a line up whilst playing a carp on the other rod. More difficult on rivers where your mainline might be coming down at 45 degree angles to keep line out of the water. Most of the still waters I have fished in the past have certainly been less snaggy than rivers. Considerable less snaggy in fact. Each to their own though I guess and as long as the fish don't come to any harm and it doesn't have any impact on other people fishing then that's fine I suppose.
Mick

 

[Kevin aka Aethelbald]

I'm new to barbel fishing, but after the initial rush of blood to the head and the idea of buying two rods, I've pulled back to buying just one. It means that from a practical point of view I can spend a wee bit more on a nicer rod and I don't have to invest in a tripod that might not even be useable in some locations. Plus, I think I'll learn more by concentrating on fishing one rod, using various methods, and being more immersed in what I'm doing.

I've little doubt that this will change once I get into it, but I think working your way up to two rods is preferable to doing the opposite... albeit you can always leave one rod at home.
.

 

[Alan Whitty]

My laughing emoji is because I have been fishing for barbel for as long as I can remember and have worked up to the fact I need six rods to cover more water, lol....

 

[Goldfish]

Looks nice on the bank. Two identical rods, 2 nice shiny reels, on a shiny pod. Very proud of the set up. Just doesn't catch you more fish. Still good to have a spare rod just incase you break the one you use and you like the action and feel. These tackle companies need to be seen to be doing something so change the rods every season or two for no particular reason. Just looks like their advancing. Buy a spare and look after it

 

[Philip]

I have to disagree on this one. On occasion more rods do catch more fish.

Using more than one rod is not always just about showing off. I am quite happy to use more than 1 rod if I think it will help and most of the time there is no one else within a mile of me to show off to.

 

[Alan Whitty]

There is no definitive proof one way or the other Philip, as is the statement of more lines in the water reduce your chances, people will still do it their way, I'm sure there are days when both are true.....

 

[Badgerale]

I have to disagree on this one. On occasion more rods do catch more fish.

Using more than one rod is not always just about showing off. I am quite happy to use more than 1 rod if I think it will help and most of the time there is no one else within a mile of me to show off to.

I think most would agree that an extra rod will sometimes catch more fish. I've certainly had times where the main line i'm concentrating on has completely failed to deliver but the 'sleeper' rod has produced fish after fish.

But I think there has been just as many times where my attention has been split too much, and i'm not doing anything very well, and fishing just one rod would have been more effective.

So I'm not sure if, on average, it's more effective to have two. It probably depends on the style of fishing you're doing - carp style of course, match style would probably not, and various pleasure fishing styles would sit somewhere between the two.

 

[Philip]

Which is why I specifically added "on occasion".

If anyone needs "definitive proof" that 2 hooks and bait in the water stands more chance of catching than 1 then they could be waiting a long time as there are so many variables involved. At the end of the day some people still want definitive proof the earth is not flat.

I take your point Badgerale but in terms of "on average" then we need to measure on level playing field and on a level playing field 2 rods will outfish 1 as it would boil down to basic probability.

 

[Goldfish]

I think badgerale has hit the nail on the head. If you're fishing carp style for barbel, meaning a sit and wait approach, then 2 rods is beneficial. A match style approach, casting out a feeder or float regulary, then 2 rods would be a distraction. All depends how you want to fish.

 

[Alan Whitty]

I don't think many of you fish venues where you get fish feeding, then one bumps into your line and all that's left is a cloud of dust, for the entire session with none returning, two rods increase the odds of this happening, whereas one well placed single rod gives you that opportunity of success, also on most barbel rivers a sleeper rod doesn't give you a chance of fish after fish, as you are generally fishing for one or two fish at best, only certain rivers give you the chance of multiple captures, I'm fortunate to be able to fish one, but a one rod limit is in place, the Trent,Wye,Ribble and Severn too give this opportunity, things unfortunately will change as cycles roll round...also when you intend to fish two rods you tend to have to fish them In certain positions to avoid risk of tangling not putting them both into the most likely spots to get bites...

 

[Goldfish]

I remember seeing underwater footage of barbel and fishing line. They weren't scared one bit of the sight of it and kept feeding with braid draping over their bodies. Made a mockery of the use of fluorocarbon being almost invisible. Different story when they actually touched the fishing line. It wasn't just a case of the barbel that touched the line that bolted out of the swim but he took the whole shoal with him.

 

[Alan Whitty]

Trouble is Mick 'shoals' aren't so common now,small groups of three or four fish where picking one up is a major success, blanks are common, the old statement of barbel being easy to catch is garbage when they don't have to compete for grub, they can pick and choose, recce the area before touching anything, then stick their fingers(fins) up and go back into hiding, the water several FM members fish is alive with barbel, yet when conditions change you only see an odd one, dozens and dozens hide under a few nettles or overhanging reeds with any you see in open water spooky as hell, imagine what three or four well fed doubles would be like....

 

[Goldfish]

Very true Alan. Used to catch barbel after barbel at one time. Not anymore. The Trent seems to be the big exception. I've spoken to some very successful thames anglers. Real specimen hunters. They say they might be fishing all season for a bite!!! That fish might be a record breaker so that's why they do it.

 

[Alan Whitty]

Used to fish the Thames for barbel several years ago, certainly 5 or 6 fish was an exceptional season...add to that the fact that most anglers think 3pts of hemp and a bag of pellets will catch any barbel, unfortunately some bits of the Ouse I fished four boilies might overfeeding em...

 

[Steve Arnold]

Sometimes even one rod is too many.......

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[@Clive]

Very true Alan. Used to catch barbel after barbel at one time. Not anymore. The Trent seems to be the big exception. I've spoken to some very successful thames anglers. Real specimen hunters. They say they might be fishing all season for a bite!!! That fish might be a record breaker so that's why they do it.

This is certainly true of the Dearne in Sth Yorks where you were fishing for a single fish, usually over 8lb and quite often 12lb or over. The record is now over 15lb, possibly 16lb. These solitary specimens are freaks that had probably been stocked by a WMC's angling club in the 70's to 90's when the river was recovering from an almost 100% polution situation in the middle stretches. Basically collieries had killed all the fish in the lower two thirds of the river. The stocked barbel had no competition so grew large very quickly aided no doubt by the spread of signal crayfish in the same period.

When I first fished the Wharfe about fifty years ago it was common to see shoals of 20 or more barbel, all over 4lb. Catches of eight to ten barbel of 4lb to 8lb was not an uncommon event. Wind the clock on to the 2000's and catching three was a rarity.

It is the same in my local French rivers. There are lots of barbel under 2lb, but the ones of 5lb or more tend to be found in small numbers, often individual fish or in groups of two or three.

So is the Trent bucking the trend or is it the case of one small area at Collingham Weir distorting the picture? My friend, a very good angler, fishes the tidal parts and rarely catches more than two in a full night's session. Admittedly they are clonkers, but he is not catching the smaller fish which should in theory outnumber the larger ones.

 

[Philip]

Ageing populations that dwindle leaving a few large fish that & are hammered day and night by angling pressure until they evetually die.

This is why trying to draw conclusions about normal or typical Barbel behaviour from pressured UK rivers is only seeing one small part of a much bigger picture. Outside that bubble you generally wont need to worry about whether 10 baits is too many or mess around with fussy rigs because the Barbel will gobble up pretty much whatever you chuck in front of them. On pressured rivers your probably as much competing against other anglers as you are the fish.