Barbel on Minnow

[Isis]

My buddy and I were trout fishing with float-fished minnows on a middle Thames weirpool in the 1960s.
I half jokingly wondered if there were any barbel about and lowered the float into the white water next to the sill. This was a spot we regularly had the old whiskers from. Within seconds the float shot under and the result is below. This fish took a minnow fished three foot deep in over seven foot of raging water. Since that day we have witnessed a group of barbel targeting shoals of minnows while we were on a working party on the Kennet near Newbury. There was also one occasion when we saw a good sized barbel chasing and eating minnows at Rushey weir on the Thames. Has anyone tried these as bait at this time of year? I've got a few sessions on the Kennet lined up and a stock of minnows and thought I might have a go.

[Dave Burr]

Peter Stone used to advocate using minnows for barbel but I believe that they work best during early season as they are piling on the protein after spawning. I've never caught one on minnow despite trying a few times but i have had some violent takes that seem unhittable and are associated with barbel hitting minnows.

Lots of fish start taking fry at this time of year so give 'em a go, you may get a big stripey instead which is no bad thing.

[Mario]

ive read about using minows but ive never tried it ive heard that on the river severn there few and far between

[Caractacus Potts]

Only about ten days ago I had a decent barbel that vented out the remains of a fish as I was weighing it. It wasn't fry sized either, but I imagine a fish of around 2 to 3 inches or so. Judging by the colour and shape of the scales I think it was a ruffe.

[GarryProcter]

I'm sure Peter Stone wrote about using minnows as bait for barbel - I seem to recall him writing of trotting them in shallow streamy water? In his book "The Complete Barbel Angler" Roger Miller devotes 3-4 pages to "coarse fish deadbaits (freshly killed)". It's not a 'Traditional' book. He opens that section by writing "Deadbaits are undoubtedly the most under-used and under-rated barbel bait. Barbel are extremely fond of very small fish, especially minnows". He also says that they will eat minnows etc. "well into the autumn and beyond". Decades ago, I'm sure I read articles by Richard Walker in which he described Dutch anglers catching bream on small lures (fly spoons?) early on in the season.

[Davyr]

Peter Stone used to advocate using minnows for barbel

Somewhere in my collection of "Fishing" magazine from the '60s, there's an article by him on this very subject, entitled "Minners are Winners"!

[GarryProcter]

I envy you your collection of "Fishing" magazines from the '60s Davy. As a lad I remember having a stack of them next to my bed, I knew the articles off by heart! What year did the magazine start up? I have a hazy recollection that my collection began with issue No 2, February 1963 (I'm probably totally wrong, my memory is not to be trusted).

[Davyr]

No, you're right, Garry - Easy for me to remember as the magazine started up earlier in the same year that I fished for the first time! It began as a weekly, switched to being a monthly after a year or two and finally ceased publication in 1969. Sadly I only kept the last year's worth of issues but since then I've replaced some of the others, including numbers 1-14.

[JerryC]

I caught my first 'double' barbel at 10lb 4oz on ledgered minnow live bait in 1974 at Marlow Weir. I didn't know at the time that Fred J used to regularly trot minnow live bait for barbel along the Thames and that minnow can be a very good early season bait.
PS Although we regularly fished Marlow Weir for barbel during the 70's I must admit I was fishing for one of the big chub at the time :o .

[GarryProcter]

The image I have of the February 1963 cover is a fine perch (and FJT mentioned?). I'll have to keep my eyes open for some old copies.