Bingo first double of the season.

The barbel have been rather elusive for many on the H.Avon this year this includes me too. Poor visibility and not knowing where they were plus some had not spawned for sure. It was turning into a tench like season complex and unknowing.

I was still hedging my bets and fishing West Country Bait pellets as both the chub and barbel cannot resist them. I was also feeding the mini mix that Shaun had given me which contains many different smaller sized pellets. I say given me I pay my way with these baits so no sponsorship or anything like this.

The maggot approach had me hooking lots of minnows and smaller chub and dace. So I changed my approach and set my stall out to fish pellet for a good few months trying to tempt larger chub and barbel.

The first opportunity came along on my second trip of the season. I knew a swim that last year that provided some excellent size barbel to over 14lbs and there was a couple in there this year. Not quite that large but still doubles.

I arrived and after feeding with pellets and hemp 3 barbel were munching on the dinner table. My bait is just a simple pellet on a running rig. So I waited until they departed the swim before casting out. Sure enough it wasn’t long before the barbel came back on the feed. I wa getting plenty of line bites as they swiftly moved to eat the breakfast I had laid for them.

Within a very small space of time the rod nodded and shot around with an angry barbel trying to get into the far side snags. It looked to be one of the larger ones. The fight was made mostly on mid river and then further down in a pool where there was no weed, so I could take my time.

On landing it I’m always blow away by how beautiful looking these H.Avon barbel are. On the scales she went 11lbs 5oz and in mint condition.

barbel 11lbs 5oz

Out went some more bait however the barbel just didn’t come out to play again.

A mate Mark came up to look around the swims and I told him my story of the barbel. We perhaps glimpsed one while we stood chatting but they were spooked for sure. I decided then and there to move swims to another one where some large chub had been coming out. But just before this I stopped in one other swim and had 2 chub reasonably quickly, both about 4lbs each.

Mark fished a couple more swims and he was having the same result, blanking.

Finally I arrived at the chub swim where someone had just vacated. As I watched I saw about 12 chub come up on the hemp and pellet I had put in. I could see a couple of lumps. These fish were only 12ft out from the bank in 3 ft of water so I could see them take the bait.

They were very weary of short hook lengths and eventually I was using close to 7ft of 5lb fluorocarbon. This did the trick and a steady rate of catching chub came along. In the end I had 6 plus the other 2 that’s 8 in total plus the large barbel. It had been a great days fishing. I even left at about 7pm for the 1.5 hr drive home.

5lbs 7oz