Barbel Cyprinidae Barbus Barbus.
Distribution : Common locally in parts of England. 
Notes : Strong and elongate mouth below snout with four barbels. 
55-65 scales along lateral line.

A powerful fish found in clear, fast running water.

Favourite haunts are weir pools, depressions in the river bed and beneath undercut banks. 

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Tackle, Bait, Techniques

Rod
11ft, test curve 1½1b 
12ft, test curve 1¾lb

Reel
Fixed spool

Line b.s.
51b, open water 
81b, snaggy water

Hooks
Round-bend, medium shank, 
small barb, turned-in eye

Lifespan
10-15 years

British record
17lb 4oz, Great Ouse, 1999

Specimen weight
10lb.

Bait
Crust, maggot, sweetcorn, 
Luncheon/sausage meat, 
and combinations

Groundbait
Loose hookbait in bait- 
dropper, swimfeeder or 
blockend and mixed with 
bread or chopped meats

Techniques
Ledger link ledger with
variations

See Hair Rigs    Landing and playing a fish

BARBEL are perhaps the most revered of all river coarse fish, and for many anglers the pursuit of this princely species becomes an obsession. It is little wonder, for there is no doubt that the barbel is the hardest-fighting coarse fish in the river.

When hooked, a barbel uses pure muscle power in the swift current to create an awe-inspiring, charging fight which will leave you breathless or fishless, depending on whether you are tackled up to cope with trying to stop a veritable steam train!

What’s more, they grow big. In England - where the species is so popular that a Barbel Society has been formed for enthusiasts - barbel often grow to more than 15lb (6.8kg). But in Southern European countries such as Spain and Portugal, where the warm weather means the fish can grow throughout the year, specimens over 30lb (13.6kg) have been landed.

Tactics
Although some barbel are caught in deep, sluggish stretches of water, it is the clear, fast-flowing reaches which hold the greatest numbers. Here barbel fishing can be pursued in its purest form; stalking the river bank looking for tell-tale signs of fish moving in and out of the sweeping bottom weed.

The best tactic on these stretches is to travel light so you are able to move between swims easily and often. Start your session by walking along a stretch looking for likely barbel swims; perhaps a clear patch of gravel upstream of an area of thick streamer weed. On this clear patch you should pre-bait with particle baits such as corn and hemp, then move on.
Only when you have baited several areas should you return to your baited swims, choosing to fish only those where you can see barbel which have moved over your bait, or where your offerings have been quickly eaten.

TACKLING UP
Do not bother with High-tech pre-stretched hooklengths and fine wire hooks for barbel. They will smash your tackle with embarrassing ease. To stop a powerful fish in a strong current you will need a robust sinking main line of at least 5lb (2.27kg) breaking strain straight through to a forged specimen hooks. A powerful feeder rod will be needed too to keep the fish away from snags as they charge off, and as barbel prefer a static bait, you will also need a selection of leads, flat-sided feeders and strap leads’ which allow you to add extra weight to your feeder to help it hold in a strong current.

Baits
It often pays to carry a selection of suitable baits. Specialists will usually fish large baits like cubes of luncheon meat and bunches of sweetcorn in summer when the fish will sometimes feed aggressively, but will move on to smaller baits like maggots and casters in the winter months.

The exception is during winter flood conditions when the river is heavily coloured. Then a large, smelly bait, like a bunch of lobworms or a large lump of cheese paste, can be deadly.

On large, wide rivers where the stalking approach is not an option, the favourite method is to fish a swimfeeder. Choose a block end feeder with a flat base and enough weight to hold steady in the current. Open up the holes in the swimfeeder with a pair of scissors, fill with hemp and casters, and cast to the same spot about 10-20 times to lay a carpet of bait on the bottom which should draw fish into your swim and hold them there.

Then you can bait your hook, and fish with the rod tip high in the air to the hold line away from the surface current and prevent the feeder being dragged out of place.

Bites will be vicious, with the quivertip bouncing dramatically back to you or right over as the fish hooks itself against the weight of the feeder. Then the battle of your life begins.