Avon Barbel

Hi All

Do you wait to spot the fish in the summer and fish to them or do you go to proven swims where you cannot see the fish but you have caught them there previously??

I had a few days fishing last year spot fishing on the BA, A few fish were on the bait, then off the bait, and I kept poking my head over the reeds/grass watching the buggers.

Then all of a sudden, whack!! and we are in.

Best regards

Jedd

Hi Jedd,
I have to admit years spent fishing a murky Kennet have left my fish spotting skills in need of a bit of practice. I do tend to fish swims that look fishy, with a tree,bush or reed poking in or out of the water being my prefered location.
Having said that last year with the gin clear water of the BA I did fish where I had seen fish but found the hole thing really really frustrating and almost had to sit on my hands as I would strike every little tap.

Rich

I really fancy having a go at sight fishing for barbel, but I generally fish Avoncliff which is mostly too deep to see them so I just chuck it in so to speak. Early in the season I like to do a bit of freelining for chub & in some swims I can see them take the bait & it is great. I think I would be a nervous wreck if I saw a barbel near my bait

Chhers

James

Sight fishing has got to be the best style of fishing going for me. Ofcourse this isn't possible on all the rivers I fish but with most theres always a few places that this is possible, as long as you get the feeding right Barbel will feed within inches of the bank and in the shallowest of water making sight fishing possible on even the bigger rivers such as the Wye and Severn. My starting approach on the smaller rivers is to walk the stretch looking for fish and then to feed any likely areas which are visable from the bank that I think fish will be near if there are none to be seen. I then visit these areas regulary to see if anything is feeding. If there are no fish to be seen I would set up in a deeper peg where the bottom isnt visable with the thought that if i havent seen anything on the shallower baited spots then they must be in the deeper area's. I would still visit these baited spots regulary throughout the day in the hope of finding some fish. Theres nothing better than watching a fish take your bait then screaming off plus you get to learn alot about them in the meantime. Only last week I had a group of 20lb+ Carp feeding in 18 inches of water and watched a Common pick up my bait only to spit it straight out in a flash, very frustrating but also heart pumping stuff