Big Barbel fishing on the river Severn. How can I catch that double ?! tips needed.

[mattp_76]

Hi

I have fished the river Severn at Tewkesbury for years and catch plenty of small barbel and chub.

My aim for this season is to catch a double figure Barbel. I mainly use cheese or Luncheon Meat which pick up plenty of fish but nothing massive.

Any tips, bait ideas, advice or methods to try would be appreciated....

Matt - http://www.artfulangler.co.uk

[fishypaul]

i'm not an expert by any means mate,but i get the impression a lot of big fish fall to halibut pellets and boilies these days

[mattp_76]

yeh, I have heard hallibut boilies are the way forward for the bigger barbel...

does this depend on whether they are regularly used ? ... and the fish are used to them ...

any ideas on tackle / methods ?...

matt

http://www.artfulangler.co.uk

[Fishing Forum Admin]

Hi mate , well Ive do sod all barble fishing for some time but will be trying the severn above Tewkesbury in the next few weeks.

Pellets and pastes seem to get the bigger ones but do not to foget lobworms. But I think the thing in getting bigger barble is the swims and finding the flow spots.

My tactics will be big baits (marine on hair rig ) and lots of feed fished in a swimmfeeder or funnel web ( small pellets or shreaded luncheon meat with crushed hemp seed

Do you feed the swim alot ?

As said above have done sod all barble fishing for sometime but let us know how it goes and I will do the same and together we might get a few nice doubles.



Or we could met up and blank together

[Pross]

Bit late I know, not sure about the Severn but on the Wye the in tactic for big ones is hair rigged large halibut pellet (14mm) fished on a bolt rig with a PVA funnel web full of smaller high oil pellets (about 6mm). Failing that the advice I was given was for BIG chunks of luncheon meat (big as in quarter of a tin!!!!). Can't vouch for the tactics as I only had one go at them myself and blanked but I have been told the same by several local barbel anglers.

[littleboybream]

well i cant even manage to get ANY barbel. the place i fish is supposed to be good but i cant pick any fish out. so any help.

[Pross]

Best tip I can offer is to be patient, pre-bait a few swims and leave it a couple of hours before you put a line out but that's just passing on advice I've been given or read.

[Droppenfish]

I've always found location to be the real key, which makes fishing the Severn quite tough as it's a big river so it takes a lot of searching. On rivers like the Teme and the Severn above Shrewsbury where it's a bit smaller, i tend to concentrate on finding gravel bars...Barbel love feeding on top of gravel and the better fish will always get the best feeding spots...therefore big barbel will be found on gravel bars. Other than spotting them during times of low water the only way to find these spots is to cast and slowly retrieve a rolling leger..kepp your index finger on the line and you can "feel" the river bed through the line, with a bit of practice you'll soon be able to determine where the gravel begins and ends...my favourite bait is really good sized chunks of Luncheon meat that have been heavily dusted with turmeric...it really seems to draw fish toward the bait. i usually feed a mash of turmeric, luncheon meat and hemp at the top of the swim and always bury the hook in the meat rather than hair-rigging. Finding gravel bars in the severn can be a bit tougher, but Barbel love a bit of faster water on their back and a reasonably clean surface to feed off, so search the swim for areas where the river bed rises..the water will flow faster over these areas..often they can be spotted because of a bulge of water on the surface (just make sure that it's not caused by a big snag or rock). If the turmeric luncheon meat fails, I found that a halibut boilie covered in halibut paste that has been mixed with freshly cooked hemp can really work wonders and it looks a lot like a Ferrero Roche chocolate..so the Ambassador will be pleased!!! keep plugging away, don't be scared of big baits and if all else fails...try the Teme around Worcester!! the fish are a lot easier to find!