WORK YOUR SWIM FOR MORE BARBEL BITES!

Ditch the feeder and use a straight lead and PVA bag approach to realise the full potential of a stretch

“Look to creep your rig down the swim...”

IT’S all too easy when barbel fishing to just rig up a big feeder, cast it into the middle of the river and sit back to await the three-foot twitch that indicates a bite.

Of course, this tactic will work to a certain degree, but by giving a little thought to how you might progressively work the swim, you can turn a one-fish hit into a true red-letter day.

Ditch the feeder

On many rivers, barbel have wised up to big feeders, and how they release their payload of an intense line of loosefeed into the swim. A great alternative tactic is to prime the swim with heavy balls of goodie-laden groundbait, and then use a lead and PVA bag approach to work the swim upstream of where the bulk of the loosefeed has landed, and all the way down to the hotspot.

This way, instead of catching one or two fish from the main baited area, and then have the swim die, you can often end up with a hatful of fish.

Start by casting to the 12 o’clock position, and look for a bite within the first 15 minutes. This will be from a fish that has made the effort to swim upstream from the hotspot. Thereafter, cast to this same spot and if there are no bites after 15 minutes, cast a metre further downstream, and repeat the process. A quick fish, recast to the same spot. No fish and the next cast will be another metre downstream. You are looking to creep your rig further down, until you are fishing the main baited area. Once bites dry up there, too, cast over to any cover, and also try your margins. There may well be a big bonus barbel or chub sat there! Use this approach and you’ll leave for home knowing that you properly worked your swim.

BALL IN AND MAKE FIRST CAST HERE Ten yards or so above your designated hotspot area, introduce groundbait balls laden with pellets and other goodies. Use a heavy mix to get them down quickly and make them even heavier by adding molehill soil or leam. STRAIGHT LEAD As well as making less disturbance on impact with the surface, a lead will hold its position better than a feeder and is often less unwieldy to cast. Set it up either running-style or on a safety clip set-up.

THE FEED HOTSPOT The loosefeed will come to settle in an area just downstream. The idea is to work the water above this hotspot for as many bites as possible before fishing the hotspot itself.