Des Taylor’s July Angling Tips

Remember Barbel Are Not Always Sitting On The Bottom!

I think its safe to say that 95% of barbel fishing is done fishing hard on the bottom with a stationary bait on some rivers the percentage could be even higher that!

But that’s a great shame because without doubt a lot of the time Barbel are willing to feed up in the water and take a moving bait, indeed on hard pressured waters barbel will take a moving bait up in the water more readily than a bottom bait because they deme it safer to take.

Lots of bait coming out of feeders and bait being sprayed in by catapult is taken by all species and if the barbel don’t join them up in the water then they will get very little bait from anglers.

Remember Barbel Are Not Always Sitting On The Bottom!

This is where the float comes into its own and a simple waggler set up at half depth with a boilie, pellet or piece of meat on the hook will catch a lot of fish, sometimes even tripping the bottom will score over the stationary bait because it is acting naturally as it trundles through the swim exactly the same as the loose feed.

I catch a lot of barbel each season fishing this way and my set up is as simple as it gets. I use a larger than needed float which can take a large bait if needed and is not pulled out of position as easy as a small float as you try and keep a natural line through the swim.

It’s a common mistake to think a small float is more sensitive when in fact on this method the float is only for getting the bait out there the fish usually hooks itself on the take as it comes up for the bait and then turns and so sets the hook.

The shotting pattern to the float should be mainly up at the bottom of the float so that the bait sinks slowly and naturally. The real skill of this method is constant feeding little and often and when the barbel are really taking it I will catch these fish a foot under the surface and many is the time you can see barbel turning and flashing taking the baits right at the surface.

Yes, barbel taking bait at the surface or as near as dam it and that’s when you have been told all your life that barbel only feed on the bottom, don’t believe a word in fact I would say through the summer months I take twice as many barbel up in the water on a float than every other method put together.

Give it ago this summer you will be shocked at the fish you will catch up in the water.

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