Improve Your Coarse Fishing (UK)
Harry Pardoe
Want to catch big barbel? A handful is all it takes
MORE anglers than ever are making barbel their prime target. And it’s not hard to see why. They fight hard, look majestic in front of the camera and lots of rivers now hold specimens of the species.
Anyone who has embarked on the hunt for a new personal best, however, will know that it can be a frustrating process at times. Barbel are no pushovers and they certainly don’t give themselves up easily.
If you’re serious about putting a big barbel on the bank, your whole approach needs to be pretty much perfect so that you can capitalise on any opportunities that arise.
Speak to Harry Pardoe about what he reckons many anglers do wrong during their pursuit and it doesn’t take him long to come back with a convincing answer.
The Midlands- based specimen angler has caught a raft of barbel well into double figures this year alone and does things differently to the majority of anglers.
“If you look at how chub anglers fish, they rove along a stretch of river, bait up a few swims and stay mobile. Barbel enthusiasts, on the other hand, tend to set up camp in one spot for the day,” observed Harry.
“If you employ that mobile approach for barbel and are willing to be patient then that big fish you’ve been dreaming of could soon be in the bottom of your landing net.”
Get them going
If you’ve found a spot that looks good for a bite or two, it can be tempting to put out a big bed of bait to lure out any fish tucked away in the snags with an irresistible banquet.
But Harry believes that a small handful of bait at a time is a much more reliable way to trigger a response.
“If you feed too much bait, the fish tend to have a few mouthfuls and then return to the cover where they were hiding. If you only introduce a small amount they have no option but to come out and eat it all.
“I put in a handful every hour and over three or four different spots so that I have plenty of options to target.
“Ideally, I want to feed each swim at least twice without wetting a line. The idea is that the fish can build their confidence without a rig in the water and then when I finally put a hookbait among the freebies, the barbel are much more likely to slip up.
“Although fishing in this manner reduces the amount of time you actually have a rig in the water by a couple of hours, it definitely leads to more going in the net.”
Convinced that fish soon wise up to seeing the same bait offerings, Harry feeds a mixture of pellet sizes, shapes and colours.
In clear water conditions he will drop in the bait where he can see it on the bottom and try to observe how the barbel react to it. This gives him an indication with regards to how cagey they are at the time.
Once he’s satisfied that they are feeding with confidence, a big halibut pellet hookbait coated in Sonubaits Code Red Oil with a PVA bag of freebies is flicked out. Each bag is tied to give the equivalent of the third handful of bait.
Take no chances
This isn’t a style of fishing that is going to produce big numbers of fish. It is all about enticing a fish or two during a session and, when bites are going to be limited, you need to make sure you land everything you hook.
That involves using heavy tackle that can handle the runs of these muscular specimens.
“I want to land every fish and I certainly don’t want to be leaving them with trailing rigs that could cause damage,” said Harry.
“I use 15lb mono mainline and the hooklength comprises two different material. Directly below the lead I have 24ins of 12lb fluorocarbon which is then joined to 4ins of 20lb Korum Smokescreen braid with an albright knot. The fluorocarbon makes it hard for any feeding barbel to see the rig and the suppleness of the braid ensures the hookbait still acts in a natural manner and prevents the fish from working out what is going on.
“The rig is then finished off with a size 10 hook,” added Harry.
Harry uses a Korum Bolt & Run kit to attach his lead to the rig. This creates a bolt rig effect on the take to increase the number of hook- ups but it also enables the lead to become free- running during the fight to add another layer of safety should the fish escape.
Back in perfect nick
Hook a barbel on a river that has a lot of snags and you’ll have to pile on the pressure throughout the battle.
That means the fight could be concluded very quickly but during that period the fish will still use a lot of energy.
Barbel are extremely fragile and need plenty of TLC before they are released and left to their own devices.
“It is always a good idea to scout out a shallow area with good access for you to be able to return the fish safely,” advised Harry.
“I always let the fish rest straight after the fight and don’t even take it out of the water to remove the hook. As it rests, I’ll ready my scales, unhooking mat and camera so that all those procedures can be undertaken quickly and with minimal fuss.
“The fish is then rested again and I’ll get out into the flow with my waders, allowing more oxygenated water to pass over the gills as it is facing upstream. The fish will tell you when it is ready, kicking aggressively to signal it is ready to fight another day.”
“My approach reduces the amount of time you have a rig in the water, but it definitely leads to more going in the net”