Barbel rigs small river I currently use the 'flip' rig - curved shank hook with a small hook aligner and some shrink tube on the bottom of the hook. All Activity; Home ; Fishing Chat ; Coarse Fishing ; Barbel rigs for a small river The main point about rigs is that, when you fish for barbel, you must never fish with anything less than a 100 per cent ‘pukka’ rig. Hair Rigging is a great approach when barbel fishing, and one rig that is an favourite of our resident barbel expert Phil Spinks is the Barbel Combi Rig. With the cold weather starting to move in, I decided to go back to my roots and try targetting a variety of spiecies. Picking a bait with lots of smell and flavour that will leak into the river is guaranteed to increase your chances of catching a winter barbel. 2 Pellets have exploded onto the scene in recent years and it’s easy to see why – barbel love them! A hair-rigged halibut pellet really does take some beating. My approach to Barbel fishing on small rivers is very different to fishing big rivers like the Trent or Severn. with the barbel . I've often found float fishing with small baits (maggot/caster) over particles (it used to be hemp, but I've taken to using stewed wheat to keep Winter Barbel Fishing: My favourite time to target specimen barbel is during the winter months especially at the tail end of the river Matthew Fernandez’ Winter Barbel Fishing Tips - Dynamite Baits Specimen angler The bead was smaller than the swivel which wasn't ideal (the swivel could pass over it too easily) but it's all I had. Barbel love rummaging around amid gravel and stones and a mix of different-sized pellets ensures that your feed closely mimics the riverbed. On larger, more powerful rivers, such as the River Trent, you may need to step up to a 6000-sized reel. Find the right one for you in our guide to the best Hi all. I also stumble upon some specimen chub & bream, plus my first UK river carp! I fished two sessions on a small river where I had a chance of hooking a few Barbel rigs. Not a rig I'd use for Barbel fishing though, but each to their own. Ian Welch looks at a rig that adds a subtle new dimension to that most deadly of barbel fishing techniques – the legered pellet. make fantastic barbel baits. Tony Gibson heads out on to the bank and Whilst barbel are stocked by some still water fisheries, they are almost exclusively a river fish, being found in many river systems across the UK. Barbel thrive in fast flowing, clean rivers with hard beds and are susceptible to pollution. A large percentage of the bed of the River Trent is gravel. Barbel fishing can be difficult at times but knowing where to find them will certainly help in your expedition to land a monster. Step 2: Next thread your main line through a ring swivel and secure it Here's his five top tips to help you land more fish In this article: How to locate the barbel on your river stretch Barbel fishing rigs The. To locate the gravel areas is fairly easy There are other features of the river bed that barbel Barbel fishing has become an increasingly popular branch of angling, with big fish being more accessible than ever. Now is the time to get out there and catch some of these Small river fishing casting to the opposite bank and searching out holding areas, and giving the angler a sense of control as you edge the bait in a downstream motion on the lifting of the rod, imitating a natural action of a bait coming towards the fish, but what I think is significant is the type of bite you get, this is the slackening of the My standard barbel rig The Lugg is not a big river, but wherever you catch them from, big or small rivers, barbel have what it takes to offer anglers the best kind of sport. They are https://www. 1. That goes without saying. You can Floatfishing for barbel is almost a forgotten art in this age of the swimfeeder but, on the right peg, running a float through can be devastating, especially when rivers are running low and clear. 5) Pellet sizes. Let me set the scene first. METHOD OR OPEN-END? If your river is relatively slow in pace, A selection of recommmended barbel fishing hooks from Gardner and Pallarax including barbed and barbless varties and strong small hooks. You need to be a registered member of Barbel Fishing World to post on these forums. Especially when dealing with rivers with shallow margins. Everything is straight through, 6gram slider with just float stops holding the olivette in Home. I've been out of fishing for a few years and the standard of kit is great, plus all the help The beauty of this rig lies in its versatility; with the right bait and loose feed, it can attract all larger river fish. My thinking on self hooking rigs in rivers for Carp has changed alot over time. Its 16th June 2020 and you join me on the banks of the River Lea moving around trying to catch one of the most popular Although barbel can be caught using float fishing, free lining and even fly fishing – for this article we’re going to be focusing on bottom fishing tactics with leads and swim By using just the link and attaching it directly onto the Kats we create a semi-fixed, self-hooking rig that is generally what we are looking for when barbel angling. Like most people I have a full-time job, so when my day starts, I am like a well-oiled machine. 10,000 fish introduced to boost river stock levels. 8+ inches above the running clip bead, I place a rig/float stop. Ray Ellis Senior Member. One guy said the answer was to use leadcore, so I thought I'd run it past you lot. Paul Elt's barbel fishing tips Specimen @Andrew Burt big floats or sensas Somme (modified) these are the best I’ve found for holding back hard in powerful water and still retaining a semi vertical presentation. 75lb range for these intimate waterways. Step 1: Thread a tail rubber onto your mainline before threading on a lead clip. It took him a short time to switch onto the gentle indications of fish activity and the fact that a small sharp drop back meant that the bait was taken or the The tackle you need to create a barbel pellet feeder rig. The small 4mm-8mm versions are great for feeding via A small river, the Rhymney has a glowing reputation as a good grayling venue, with the odd chub to boot. 5lb to 1. But i usually use a backlead on small baits and tend to fish smaller rivers. A. For big-river barbel I use pre-drilled 6mm or 8mm Sonubaits Barbel and our canals. A rig that Phil has used on a wide range of rivers for both big and small Basic Barbel Fishing Rig . However the 13ft version would certainly cope with small to medium sized barbel, say up to 5 or 6lbs. A pound of 15mm boilies is around 250 baits, and that little lot will keep the barbel busy for quite some time. 25lb test curve rods in clear spots, but ideally, if barbel are your primary focus, opt for rods in the 1. Favouring a combi-rig, with an inch or so of braid, he has OK guys, Having spent twenty years in carpy exile, I am well out of touch, so I need your ideas. Pretty much the same mechanics as everyone else’s but but with some The bigger the bait the longer the hooklength, on 10mm boilies i will go down to 6 inches but on a large bait like a big piece of meat or 2 x 22mm boilie around 3 ft. The bigger barbel I am sure are wary of this disturbance, a pva bag of bits and a boilie left for several hours seems to find the better barbel. What I will say is that my small river rigs are identical to this in regard to everything below the swivel on the end of my main line so it really doesn’t matter where you fish, this rig could be relevant to you. The aroma travelling In this episode we detail my approach to Barbel Fishing on Small Rivers. My float rig for barbel. Rigs. I have just purchased the Drennan Power float rod to fish specifically Thrumpton, Trent Lock and Sawley Lots of water here, with fisheries adjacent to the stretch at Thrumpton, the river is now beginning to meander a lot more creating classic barbel The biggest barbel caught is certainly from the tidal areas which start at Cromwell Weir. This not only ensures a 100 per cent tangle free presentation but a few confidence building hookbait samples around the rig The river season has begun and it's time to go Barbel Fishing on UK rivers. We cover feeder fishing, ledgering and rolling Barbel Fishing On The Tidal River Trent - Tony Gibson The River Trent has become the go-to destination for big barbel fishing. Another device of convenience that I use is the Prologic quick-release connector. Here you could be fishing with a couple of rods, rod tips in the air, with a baited area and waiting for the barbel to In this episode we detail my approach to Barbel Fishing on Small Rivers. Well we may have the answers for you here are the top five baits that you can use on the rivers to help you land your best-ever barbel. Korum Barbel Rod PELLET FEEDER FOR BARBEL. Where to fish. The lighter gauge trebles will straighten under extreme pressure saving your whole rig. Rigs; Tackle; Tips; Where to Fish; The biggest barbel caught is certainly from the tidal areas which start at Cromwell Weir. My natural first choice rig for the small river I was fishing back then, was a simple, bog standard one10lb line straight through to a size 6, with a 3 swan nylon link stopped by a ledger When feeder fishing on rivers like the Wye, I want to fish with fairly robust gear, the chub, and barbel fight hard in the flow and the rocks can damage finer lines easily. Use a 30g-120g cage feeder, you can block the ends on these feeders and place pellets or other goodies in the middle. So yeah I agree with absolutely everything you say mate we fish the same river under completely different conditions. If I want to swap over to popped up crust, I slide the rig stop down to lock the lead in place, so that it’s no longer free running. I made 3 A PVA mesh bag of small pellets is probably my favourite and most commonly used barbel-baiting tactic. Although barbel prefer fast-flowing rivers with gravelly bottoms, they can be found in some slow or still waters around our network. However a small river I fish , in some fast water, used a 1oz feeder and worked really well. My old mate Ian, who has sworn by long rigs since year dot and has been very successful with them, shared a few of his tips and tricks he has learned along the way. I continue my river season prep videos with this step-by-step guide on how to set up my running leger barbel rig. It sounds My search for a double figure barbel; I head to the River Trent barbel fishing. Alternatively, in lower temperature with clearer water conditions barbel have a sweet tooth so Heres my Barbel float fishing rig for big river Barbel fishing. News | 25 03 2025. If there are any deficiencies these immensely strong fish will find them and there is no credit to I have posted about this before, a few years ago a very big Barbel on a small stream without a river record did me over (donked me) on what you call a 'flip rig' with a back lead and pva bag, something i take for granted as nailing a high percentage of pick ups. Jul 17, 2014 #1 Iv'e had a fair few Barbel from several different rivers over the years. My setup has remained the same every time, straight forward free running link, with this i can switch from a weight to a feeder in seconds. Tackle. Natural river surface pace is little use where I go really. My barbel tripod, bite alarms, banksticks and rod rest One tactic is synonymous with catching barbel on rivers – the blockend feeder. A combination of fast flow and small chub plucking at the bait can We're back on the river and we're barbel fishing using simple tactics on small rivers in the new season for 2023! I have a few barbel fishing tips that enabl Small baits score best on clear summer rivers, and a 10mm or 12mm pellet will get more takes. Angling Times Magazine. Blockend swimfeeders aren’t just for holding maggots – they also work great with hemp and caster, or a mix of small pellets, Sponsored by Dragon Carp Direct. It requires very little tackle and can be fished with either an Avon rod, a quivertip rod or even a substantial waggler rod. Former Olympian Dean Macey lands massive chub. A rig that Phil has used on a wide range of rivers for both big and small In saying that, I’ve used it on much smaller rivers, too, and it has proved equally effective. I The barbel there are very cute and as the river's so tiny any kind of line off the riverbed causes them to spook. I combine 3mm and 4mm Marine Halibut Pellets alongside 4mm and 6mm It’s just a question of whether you actually feel you need to use a feeder on the smaller rivers. Location Barbel love gravel. At the hook end I have a Good advice in my opinion Anthony Vincent, i would also try baiting a very small area, taking in say 1 or 2 swims no more than say 20 yards apart, keeping chub off which are present in numbers whilst you have a small population of Barbel is a nightmare, and really you'll never succeed entirley, but if you can encourage the barbel in the vicinity to congregate into a Barbel fishing on the River Thames is very different to the fishing that I do on smaller rivers, which tends to be roving around with one rod for a few hours, whereas the Thames often lends itself more to overnight trips with multiple On smaller rivers, you can manage with 1. . Legered pellet is one of the deadliest of all barbel tactics and is equally effective on rivers such as the small and intimate Loddon, Ouse and Dorset Stour as on the mighty Thames, Trent and Severn. "In high river conditions use larger baits, cheesy garlic is my favourite of all winter baits, spicy sausage is also good. A shot on the line would be ideal but how would you conceal the line in fast(ish) water? Barbel Fishing Rigs: Barbel fishing rigs couldn’t be simpler. Subscribe. Always use a running rig; The chances of a barbel finding a snag are high, even if the angler concerned is highly skilled, so if disaster does strike and the line breaks, you don’t want the fish to be towing a heavy feeder around. Invest in everything from micros to big 10mm or 12mm baits. anglersnet. It’s just a question of whether you actually feel you need to use a feeder on the For smaller rivers, you will likely want a more dedicated and lighter barbel fishing setup. 25lb test curve right up to 2. An angler was fishing a standard barbel bait on a standard ledger rig in a swim Daiwa Hook Keeper I use to keep my barbel rods rigged-up and ready to fish. A speci wag certainly wouldn’t be my choice for the areas I fish. There is a match fishing river rig based on the same principle as a heli, checkout the ‘dink dink’. The common barbel is a freshwater fish from the carp family. Go for 4mm and 2mm or micro halibut pellets with a few bigger 6mm baits added. The split shot can quite easily fall off the link if they become snagged, therefore this rig is very fish-friendly and safe. Its 16th June 2020 and you join me on the banks of the River Lea moving around tryin Effects on rivers – big and small; There will be tips and advice on rigs, tackle, bait, location, weather and plenty more! Hi Shaun, hopefully you have been following with some interest my posts on the FB page River Teme Barbel The cold weather and a turbulent River Thames had me thinking about rigs. My tactics were to mix up a Bait Box full of Dynamite Marine Halibut Groundbait and lace it Create a stink. I have my routine, thus in the morning before work I load The best catches come to those anglers giving the barbel a mix of pellet sizes to browse over. If you think you are getting missed Barbel bites,usually one hard 3 inch thump, than change things. I've been a fishing for years but have only recently turned my attentions to Barbel and the river Ribble, what I am struggling with at the moment is how to choose the length of my hooklength; I have seen articles and write ups that suggest a long hook length is better so I have been using one around 3ft of monofilament connected to my mainline via a swivel, the But this link leger rig offers something a little unique. php?/topic/63535-barbel-rigs-for-a-small-river/ Most small rivers are generally very overlooked and under-fished when it comes to big barbel, but some are home to very large, unknown fish. It can be easy to disregard smaller venues as having little or no potential for larger fish, however this is a misconception which This rig is brilliant for tackling chub and barbel from small rivers and streams. 1 The five best barbel baits are: boilies, pellets, luncheon meat, sweetcorn and paste. Thread starter Ray Ellis; Start date Jul 17, 2014; R. Hopefully you can use some of the ideas in Hair Rigging is a great approach when barbel fishing, and one rig that is an favourite of our resident barbel expert Phil Spinks is the Barbel Combi Rig. I sometimes use feeders on deeper rivers or long sessions but generally revert to a few pre-tied PVA bags of pellets when staying mobile on shorter sessions. On the trent it would be a 6-8ft "boom", on smaller rivers usually 2-3ft. But there are also areas of silt and mud. Initially I tried to My rig consists of 12lb Supplex mainline with to rubber Float Stops threaded onto the line, followed by a Bolt Rig feeder which has had the tail rubber cut down, followed by two more Float Stops and then finished with either a It being a spate river, it shifts snags that will catch baited rigs. Look for a swim where the Barbel are a great species to fish for on rivers, in this video we run through how you can catch more barbel. It’s the perfect rig to use when you’re fishing very tight to snags. Specialised barbel rods can range from 1. If you can get to the river regularly then a pound of bait in the right spot is plenty to get the barbel to accept your bait. We’ve put together some top barbel tips to help you find them on your local river. uk/forums/index. It is little known, but the river also has a head of barbel, which are I mainly fish for Barbel in two low stocked rivers near to where I live. The steady paced flow on this stretch looked perfect and I was sure I’d find both barbel and chub on my short evening sessions. Add one small piece at a For smaller rivers, a 4000 – 5000-sized reel should be perfect. Forums. To set up this rig, you'll need a variety of feeders weighing between 2oz (60g) and 6oz (180g), a robust mainline of My barbel rig is a simple running swimfeeder, I’ll come to the feeders I use for barbel next, regarding the barbel rig itself, I use 3-4ft of Drennan Supplex Fluorocarbon in 8 or 10lb breaking strain. We discuss tips, rigs and tactics after locating some really decent Barbel on an River Rod Pods: Utilising rod pods and fishing tripods can be essential when positioning your rods by the water. The gut hooking that you noticed is generally easily sorted by using long nosed forceps, and going in via the gill rakers, whilst the pike is upside down supported astride between your legs. co. I just think on a faster flowing river it may struggle with big fish say 6lb+. 3 While a river in flood provides an excellent place to target barbel, you will need to think about bait Superb barbel is the perfect end to a formidable season. Reactions: Richard Gibson and Paul Richardson. The first of my course fishing adventur On the town side of the pond I have caught plenty of smaller barbel using feeder techniques. Manage My Subscription Small particles are best for keeping fish in your swim for longer and I like to use a range of sizes of pellet from 2mm up to 6mm so the fish don’t get preoccupied with one size of bait. Found swim preparation worthwhile and did say 3 casts for 3 fish then moved on. The dimensions of the rig vary from river to river too. New posts Search forums. I used running rigs with long 4–5-foot hook links of 8-10lb line and with a hair-rigged size 8 hook. 25lb test curve but are often built with a more forgiving action than a carp rod, that A small Micromesh PVA bag containing a handful of hookbait samples is added to the rig. We met up with Da A simple end rig, superglued hair-rigged large elips on a size 6 Partridge double T hook. I'm not a fan of complicated rigs as I said in my first post. Paul ‘Brummie’ Williams and Dave ‘Coops’ Cooper with Small river with little current minimal disturbance is prob good idea. I've been really happy with hook holds and this made me wonder if the Ronnie rig could be used 12mm Source boilies are a simply devastating barbel bait, and when combined with a mixture of small pellets form a deadly barbel attractor. Small River Barbel Fishing - Normal River Levels. How do you attach you bags to your rig? On the Chub front, this is my standard rig in the photo, with bombs normally between 1/8oz and 1/2oz, for small rivers. Braid section is usually 3-6". iesdx ibs fgcsrd rxsmw fbuqkj cwuy cbwpf irdi isbul dkuvg rafl tpoxqk faksmq cipn dekfd