Monday 18 March 2024

Barbel Challenge 2023/24


Once again I set the target of 100 Small River barbel over the season. Cracked in September, I ended up with 185 barbel - including 4 doubles. Fantastic local fishing when I haven't got a lot of time!

Opening morning 10lb 14oz (top). Recaptured July, 10lb 7oz (above).


October beauty, 10lb 12oz.


A January 10lb 12oz - my 30th double from the river.


March, 9lb 14oz - so close to the magic mark.

 Season No 5+ 7+ 10+ Best
 2010/11 27 1 0 0 6lb 6oz
 2011/12 44 14 8 0 9lb 12oz
 2012/13 56 34 20 6 12lb 4oz
 2013/14 8 5 4 0 7lb 13oz
 2014/15 71 33 16 1 10lb 1oz
 2015/16 127 45 15 0 9lb 4oz
 2016/17 70 31 15 2 11lb 15oz
 2017/18 132 56 23 2 10lb 9oz
 2018/19 101 36 13 1 10lb 3oz
 2019/20 164 69 28 5 12lb 1oz
 2020/21 250 77 20 6 14lb 2oz
 2021/22 180 34 8 2 11lb 1oz
 2022/23 228 47 8 1 10lb 9oz
 2023/24 185 59 16 4 10lb 14oz
 Total: 1,643 541 194 30 Breakdown



Plus I also targeted The Wye landing 19 barbel to 9lb 7oz, and two new rivers. An 8lb 0oz barbel from the Blackwater on a rain soaked afternoon and my first Severn barbel, a 12lb 2oz beauty!

Overall season total: 206 barbel

Friday 15 March 2024

Wye Felina


The end of the season, and to The Wye one last time with high hopes of one last pike before the break. But the river still hates me - floods and boiling red water - and even more cold water washing down...


Hopes improved when I found this side stream - almost clear water, the perfect sanctuary from the conditions for a big predator. A sardine was cast out and I was almost surprised when nothing snapped it up...


Time for a cup of tea and a bit of a rethink! I'd still chuck a pike bait in the limited slacks - slim chance was better than no chance. And put out a cube of meat on the second rod - see if anything fancied it...


The chub & barbel weren't really on the feed, it was a struggle to find feeding fish - but eventually 6 little barbel and 6 chub saved a blank. Not an epic close to the season - but think I made the best of it!

Friday 8 March 2024

End Of Season Double


If I can't get out for another pike before the season ends I'd settle for another double figure barbel... And when this one found the net after a serious fight I was sure I'd done it! But at 9lb 14oz she was 2oz short... Do I care? Nope - cracking barbel - more than happy!!


I think the problem with the landing net (top diagram) is the point of maximum stress (A) is really close to the weakest point, the drilled hole (B). Would doing away with this hole & screw fix this problem (bottom diagram)? An easy modification to make at home - I'm going to try it.

Wednesday 6 March 2024

Stormy Water


Clear water when I arrived on the Small River, and three barbel in quick succession - best 7lb 2oz (above). Then dirty water washed down - went from able to see the bottom to zero visability in about 2 minutes.


Barbel might like dirty water - but they don't like suddenly dirty water! Not a nibble for an hour or so until the colour started to wash out - then they came back on the feed - two more to 8lb 14oz.


Could have had more - but another landing net bites the dust! It's one I've fixed before - don't know why they drill the holes at the point of stress - might redesign it (and send them the new design?).

Thursday 29 February 2024

Goldfinch, Barbel & Satan


I'd really like to get out for another pike before the season ends - two weeks left - I'm watching the water levels & hoping they're not spawning just yet. BTW the photo is of a goldfinch skull - pretty cool.

Not enough time to go piking I shot down the Small River - and bagged 5 barbel to 6lb 9oz - plus a bonus chub at 3lb 10oz (can find the big ones). Great to get out before the rain starts again later!


Oh, and spotted this advert on the way to the river - living in London we're bombarded with hundreds of adverts every day - but this one really did stand out - brilliant!

Thursday 22 February 2024

Week On The Wye (Pt 2)


Three days gone, three to go and we hadn't even seen a pike, the water was still well above the +1.4 we needed - and the frogs and toads had started spawning - pike spawn around the same time. The difficult pike mission was getting even harder - but you've got to be in it to win it...


Day 4 / Saturday / Water level +2.1 - We were joined by our mate Steve, and we had permission to fish a tiny Wye tributary (we couldn't find pike in the main river). And it turned out to be a game changer. A run almost straight away - nervy, snaggy fight - a big pike in the net!


She went 20lb 0oz - very glad she'd had breakfast!! Steve followed a few minutes later with a 13lb 0oz beauty - we'd found fish! Then we fished on all day without another run. Absolutely brilliant to bag a Wye twenty - just needed Paulos to land a pike to make the trip...


Day 5 / Sunday / Water level +1.9 - Early start, only 2 days left and back on the main river. A run to Paulos - and a bumped fish - crap! An hour or so later it hit the smelt again, great fight and a 17lb 4oz pike was in the net. The only action - but - mission accomplished!

Day 6 / Monday / Water level +3.4 - The river rose a meter and a half overnight. But we'd had a big pike each, that was going to be our lot. A bit of early season addering instead - no adders yet but we did find three common lizards. Tough trip - but a cracking couple of pike!

Tuesday 20 February 2024

Week On The Wye (Pt 1)


Paulos was over from the States for a week - and that could mean only one thing - Wye Pike! We really need the water levels at +1.4 or below to catch them - and it wasn't going to happen! Hopefully we could find flood water pike - if not I'd just photograph the friendly robins!


Day 1 / Wednesday / Water level +2.4 - An early start & a meter more water than we wanted. Two rods each - we put deadbaits (and occasionally lures) through all the slacks. Only one run all day which turned out to be a new PB chub for Paulos - 5lb 4oz on a whole smelt!


Day 2 / Thursday / Water level +2.6 - Paulos couldn't fish today, but I headed out. Our dad, Roger, popped down to see me - decided it looked good for a barbel - so he walked home to get his kit. Walked back and had one in no time! At 6lb 7oz it was the only fish we saw all day!


Day 3 / Friday / Water level +2.3 - Another long day, and a lot of water covered. We talked of the good old days and 10 or 15 pike in an afternoon. Only the eels were interested in the deadbaits - so as it was getting dark I put a piece of meat on the lure rod & bagged a barbel.


Half way through the trip - it wasn't going to plan at all...

Sunday 18 February 2024

No Cuts, No Glory


Tough going on the flooded Wye, but eventually found one!

Thursday 8 February 2024

Gone Digital


Having broken my scales on the last trip to The Wye I decided to replace them with their digital cousins. I'll miss watching the needle pull round, but they'll replace my 6/12lb and my 20/40lb scales - one less thing to carry - I've joined the digital age of fishing! Now what to test them on? I couldn't find anything suitable in the house or garden!?!!


Any excuse to go fishing - and James phoned - he was driving past my house on the way to the Small River - perfect! Leapfrogging down the river we both found barbel - I landed seven - mostly 4 or 5 pounders - but then something to test the scales on. A cracking fight in the fast water, before this beauty was in the net - 8lb 15oz



And James' 40 River Challenge is ticking along nicely, river number 24 in the bag with this hard earned, massive Itchen barbel. In case you missed it - the blog post is here.

Sunday 4 February 2024

Chasing Chub


Right species, right shape, wrong size! With 3½ hours on the clock I shot down the river to see if I could tempt those chub I'd spotted last time - and I did talk one into taking a bait. Unfortunately the smallest one of the bunch - but if I can fool one hopefully I can fool his big brothers!


As they weren't playing I abandoned the chub and targeted the barbel. They had moved up into surprisingly shallow water and a cube of luncheon meat did the trick - landing five - 6lb 14oz, 6lb 2oz, 6lb 0oz, 5lb 10oz & 5lb 9oz. A better average size so far this year...