If you had to take someone fishing where you could all but guarantee them a barbel, you could choose a far worse places than Collingham Weir on the River Trent. This well known barbel spot is one of the most prolific day ticket stretches in the country, producing some truly memorable sessions to the many anglers who have visited over the years.
However, like anywhere, it can be difficult and some come away from the river blanking, so it is still important to get your tactics right if you are to make the most of the swim.
This is exactly what anglers Mickey Palmer, Darren Oatway and Ellis Titheridge managed to unlock, leading to an outrageous session on its hallowed banks. An unforgettable two day trip saw the trio land 117 barbel between them, including some larger specimens upto 15lb 8oz.
IF YOU WANT TO CATCH MORE BARBEL, HERE ARE SOME EXCELLENT TIPS TO HELP.
"I had a trip planned to visit Collingham Weir, and while I love fishing the place, this will be my last session here so I was hopeful of a final farewell to remember, but even then, I didn't expect things to unfold the way they did," Mickey told us.
"After some prolific sessions in the past, I had set a personal goal of catching 70 barbel in a day a few years ago and knew this session would probably be make or break in achieving it," he added.
"You can only fish daylight hours at Collingham and every barbel angler knows, barbel come out to play at night generally, with this stretch an exception."
"You have to book 18 months ahead for Collingham and pay £125 for five pegs, but in reality only two pegs are any good during the daytime. You also have to be able to cast 80 to 100 yards to land within 20ft of the weir to maximise your chances," Mickey explained.
The first day went well for the anglers, catching 41 barbel between them, with Ellis coming out top rod landing 20 barbel, including a 15lb 8oz fish which turned out to be the biggest of the trip. As with most sessions, the anglers went away and discussed how to make the most of their second day on the bank. After establishing what they thought were the best tactics, they got some rest before heading down to the river early for another arm aching day on the bank.
THE BEST BARBEL RODS WILL ENSURE YOU CAN CAST AS FAR AS NEEDED TO REACH THE FISH.
"After a frustrating start that saw me lose a few fish, I eventually sussed out the sweet spot on the weir. I also adjusted the lengths of my rigs to 3ft and changed to a size 8 hook, opting for two 8mm Robin Red pellets on a band. I honestly believe that if we had sussed it out earlier, we would have caught over 100 barbel.," Mickey said.
"At one point I was casting in and getting bites within 30 seconds of the bait hitting the riverbed, it was sensational fishing."
"We ended up with another 77 barbel, banking 39.5 myself that day with Ellis landing 20 and Darren banking 17. I say 39.5, as unbelievably, both me and Ellis hooked the same greedy barbel at the same time."
"If you are looking to fish the weir or river around this area, we always stay at The Coach house in Collingham. Where it's cheap to stay, and Beth the host treats everyone with love and respect."
THESE TIPS WILL HELP YOU CATCH YOUR FIRST OF MANY BARBEL.
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