First attempt

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Ian
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First attempt

Post by Ian »

A friend contacted me on Friday to say he had found a small group of big barbel whilst fishing for roach on the river Clyde.he said they were in the 12lb+ range and asked if I wanted to join him yesterday which I jumped at.
He has been feeding the pool with lots of hemp and pigeon conditioner for a few weeks now and has caught roach,face and perch so far.
I've never went down the Clyde to fish for barbel before and to say I'm a novice is an understatement.fortunately I've been given some advice from the forum members in tackling these fish.i picked two swims just downstream of a bend.i put a pint of hemp soaked in hemp oil in each swim with a bait dropper and a couple of handfuls of 6mm trout pellets on top of that.
The swims were completely different with one being in mid river and the other under under overhanging willow trees about 100m up from heavy rapids.
After letting the swims settle for an hour it was time to cast into the mid river swim.i went with a 10mm source boilie on a hair with a half dozen boilies in a pva bag.i sat for half an hour before a very big fish top and tailed just downstream and on the same line I had fed.i immediately convinced myself it was a barbel and how I itched for the tip to pull round but after a couple of hours of not so much as a peep I decided to cross back over the bridge and on to the bank side swim.
Like I've said,im no expert but this swim just has it,overhanging trees,5ft deep,just down on the outside of a bend and a nice pace.i went straight in with the same hookbait as the last swim but i also chucked in a few grains of corn now and then.
Again nothing was interested in the boilie so I tried both a trout pellet and corn on a hair but once more nothing.
I felt so confident throughout the whole day from 7am right up til last cast.I now look forward to trying again.a two pounder would do me for my first barbel but who knows what size lurks in the depths of the Clyde.
Don’t cast doubt,cast out.

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Dave Burr
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Re: First attempt

Post by Dave Burr »

If they are there Ian, you will succeed eventually. However, if they have not been fished for before and are not 'on' the pellet/boilies, it can take a long time to wean them onto an unnatural bait. In which case, meat usually scores earlier.

Good luck with your endeavours :Thumb:

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Ian
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Re: First attempt

Post by Ian »

I see where you are coming from bill.I suspect they’ve never seen a pellet or boilie before and that was my reasoning for introducing a few grains of corn at regular intervals.i tried a single grain on a hair and did get a slight drop back,like it pinged back but I put that down to maybe a small silver or possibly even a trout or grayling.i then tried 3 grains on a hair the very next cast and the rod tip pulled round but not quickly but I thought it was a little too quick for leaves so I struck anyway,obviously into nothing,i didn’t think it was worth mentioning.i don’t know what a bite would be like but have pictured it to be savage,especially if I’ve cast down stream.the next visit I might try laying down a bed of hemp and using a lob on the hook,nothing else.my mate sent me a video of the fish he’d seen.the river was high and all you could see were their tails sticking out the water right in at the side.the tails looked about 7 inch wide from top to bottom,I thought they would be between 8 and 10lb.i might be a mile out for all I know.the good thing is they are there,the bad thing is the run is about 500yds long,it’s wide and very deep.i think even picking a swim within the run to feed will be difficult.i don’t know if it’s worth starting a feeding campaign at this time of year with winter approaching.so many questions and not enough experience bill.
I’ll be back.
Don’t cast doubt,cast out.

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Ian
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Re: First attempt

Post by Ian »

Where on earth am I getting bill from,sorry Dave.im sure I’ve made the same mistake before.im losing the plot haha.
Don’t cast doubt,cast out.

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RBTraditional
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Re: First attempt

Post by RBTraditional »

He was Old Bill and you know what they say "once a copper always....." :Hahaha:
" Angling is not an escape from life, but often a deeper immersion into it..."

https://thepiscatorialraconteurs.co.uk/

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Ian
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Re: First attempt

Post by Ian »

RBTraditional wrote: Tue Oct 10, 2017 7:03 am He was Old Bill and you know what they say "once a copper always....." :Hahaha:
I swear I had my permit.haha
Don’t cast doubt,cast out.

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Dave Burr
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Re: First attempt

Post by Dave Burr »

I deliberately avoided mentioning maggots as it will invite the attentions of small fish but, as it's a large and bleak area, getting some feeding action from other species with hemp and maggots is quite likely to stir the interest of barbel.

As they fish obviously feed in the margins during high water conditions, this too is a clue of how to approach the river when it's high. A big bait (worms, meat etc) down the inside could be the way to go.

Just to throw some light on the problem of introducing new baits to barbel. When the Wye was largely unfished for barbel, a mate of mine gained access to a stretch where he found a shoal in shallow water at the tail of a small island. He and his fishing buddy fed corn all summer but only got a few tentative bites come the autumn. Naturals worked from the off. Now that the river is well fished the barbel have learned to accept a wide range of food items but yours, I feel, may be like those my mate found.

Your bait choice though is irrelevant until you have located them. Maybe some plumbing along the stretch will reveal a deeper area or two which is always worth exploring.

Bill :Sarcasm:

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Olly
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Re: First attempt

Post by Olly »

Finding and trying to catch barbel that have not or seldom seen bait is quite time consuming I have found! But very enjoyable when you do succeed.

As said above try naturals - what can resist a lobworm - whilst feeding in the newer baits - boilies or pellets.

But trying for barbel that have been fished for and caught on a regular basis for years does require a bit more "stealth" in presentation - hair rigs - and more baits that they know but with "adjustments/enhancements" - added flavour/smells/etc

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Ian
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Re: First attempt

Post by Ian »

To be honest,I'm not one for pellets and boilies anyway.for starters I've never had much success with them firebird,no matter what the species I'm fishing for.they look so unnatural to me anyway.i might be watching too much crap on the internet.
Whenever the odd one gets caught by a salmon angler it must inevitably be on a bunch of worms so I guess that's a clue in itself.
The Clyde isn't like the wye or the Severn as far as numbers are concerned in the fact there will be barbel in most runs,far from it.i can see them being in small groups and nomadic to a point of never being in the one place for too long.
Maybe baiting up isn't the answer,it could be a case of covering lots of water with a lobworm and hoping to drop it on their noses.
I don't know,luck may play a bigger part than skill with this one.
Don’t cast doubt,cast out.

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RBTraditional
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Re: First attempt

Post by RBTraditional »

Keep us posted Ian, be great to hear that you've banked a barbel using traditional bait.
" Angling is not an escape from life, but often a deeper immersion into it..."

https://thepiscatorialraconteurs.co.uk/

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