This summer, with his local Hampshire Avon being a bit out of sorts, two-time Drennan Cup champ Simon Daley has been targeting barbel on the River Lea instead. It’s a venue he’s fished for chub in the past, but with its exceptional barbel form last season, he decided it was time to try for one of the river’s larger residents.
Fully expecting to invest many hours before a capture, Simon had a result on just his second session this season, landing this 17lb 9oz beauty. The fish fell to a krill dumbell boilie which Simon trimmed down to imitate his 10mm pellet loosefeed.
Interestingly, he didn’t use a bait dropper, as some barbel anglers do on the stretch. Instead, he fed pellets by hand every now and again, just a couple at a time. His thinking was that, in the low-stock stretch, a bit of noise as the baits entered the water might get the fish’s attention.
He was certainly proved right when his rod screamed off as the fish made a bid for freedom on the narrow and snaggy stretch. Simon adopted the rig that had been successful for him on the Hampshire Avon, including an inline lead, a short fluorocarbon hooklink, size 10 hook, and a backlead to keep everything pinned down.
IF YOU HAVE NEVER CAUGHT A BARBEL, THIS BEGINNERS GUIDE WILL HELP YOU CATCH ONE!
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