While some anglers prefer to head to a likely-looking swim and rely on their bait and tactics to draw barbel in, others, like George Cornwell, much prefer to find and observe their quarry to determine the best way to catch them. That approach certainly worked for him during a recent session on the Dorset Stour, when he was rewarded with this superb 13lb barbel for his efforts.
“Much modern barbel fishing is done ‘blind’ – fishing to likely looking areas, or in swims that are known to hold fish.
“This often works but, when possible, if you can observe your target fish before casting, I think you can gain an advantage.
“Spotting any fish, even if it’s just a glimpse of one flashing in deep water as it feeds, is a great help, but I recently stumbled across one barbel that I was able to watch for two days.
“Over that period, I was able to understand its movements and habits before catching it soon after casting out.
“Like many rivers in the country, the Dorset Stour was running low and clear, and I located this fish on a clear gravel run between beds of weed, where it was feeding alongside some quality chub.
“Over the two days, I worked out where it liked to hide, the route it took to enter the swim, and the patch of gravel it was most willing to feed over.
“The fish would come up, feed on its spot by the weed, then drift downstream before circling back up and feeding again.
“As I wanted my hookbait to be presented in a specific zone, I opted for an inline lead and fluorocarbon hooklink, which would pin my bait exactly where I needed it.
“With chub in the area, I had to be extra careful in my approach, as hooking one of those could easily put the barbel off.
“Feeding pellets away from the barbel’s favoured spot, I distracted the chub as I waited for the barbel to come back.
“It wasn’t long before it returned and, when it momentarily drifted off its favoured feeding spot, I quickly laid my rig into position, scrambled up the bank and ducked behind some cover.
“I hadn’t disturbed it, and 30 seconds later my centrepin was screaming off!
“A great battle followed in the pacey water before I netted this 13lb 3oz barbel, which was a superb start to the season.”
YOU'LL NEED ONE OF THE BEST BARBEL RODS TO TAME BIG FISH LIKE THIS IN WEEDY RIVERS.
