first time fishing for barbel

[rabglasgow]

hi im from glasgow scotland im looking to fish the river clyde for barbel but we dont have loads of them here the record stands only under 10 pounds from the same river anyway am i better to feeder or float and any bait rigs what to look for etc would be greatly appreciated---- Rab ps i prefer to float but will use feeders aswell

[BoldBear]

I don't know what the Clyde is like but if the Barbel are anything like the barbel in England down south your best chance of one is to fish in the evenings when the sun has gone down and look for features that Barbel seem to like such as in between beds of streamer weed, or depressions in the riverbed however small, the outsides of bends especially if there are undercuts or other cover, or behind rocks in the riverbed or if you have weirpools (which are not the modern concrete ones with concrete spill-offs) then try tight up against the weir sill in the white water because beneath that white water it can be relatively calm and usually there are some undercuts there as well.
or try at the edge of the deeper side eddies or the slightly shallower water at the tail of the weir.

I also like to trot a float for them and on some rivers this can be very effective during the day but on a river where they are scarce and where you are fishing during the evening I think that using a feeder or a link leger with a PVA stocking full of feed may be more effective.

They seem to appear from nowhere once the sun goes down in the evenings as it starts to get dark.

Try asking on the SCOTTISH COARSE AND PREDATOR ANGLING web site there may be scottish anglers on there that know more about Barbel on the Clyde

Anyway I hope this is of some help, good luck and tight lines.

Keith (BoldBear)

[rabglasgow]

thank you i appreciate your time

[Ricky3112]

Very few and far between those Clyde Barbel.