What is the best bait for barbel fishing?

Effective baits include luncheon meat, maggots and sausage. Barbel often lurk in holes during the day, calling for fine tackle with small baits in order to tempt them out. Worms are generally considered the best bait for barbel.

What Flavours do barbel like?

Fish-based boilies with krill, crab or crayfish flavouring are great for barbel. Fish one or two on a hair rig and break a few up as feed offerings in a PVA bag. Paste can be moulded it into whatever shape or size you like. It breaks down fairly easily, giving off particles that attract barbel upstream.

What pellets to use in Method feeder?

When choosing pellets to mould around your method feeder rig, you want to be opting for the micro pellets. I usually opt for 4mm pellets, but 2mm will work just fine.

Do chub like pellets?

Baits such as cheese paste, worms, and flavoured maggots did the trick for me. Chub and indeed most other species do not need to eat much in winter so there is no point throwing out a load of pellets or using a feeder full of filling groundbait. The other important factor with winter chub bait is colour and visibility.

Does barbel like groundbait?

9. The Source Groundbait and Source Boilies. Terry Hearn’s original recipe is just as good for barbel as it is for carp and a favourite of many river anglers. The Source groundbait is a great way of feeding on larger rivers such as the Wye and Trent particularly when there is a large head of barbel.

Does barbel eat sweetcorn?

Sweetcorn is one of the top baits for carp, barbel, bream, tench and sometimes big roach, although most species would take it as a bait. Tinned sweetcorn can be found ubiquitously in supermarkets and at your local tackle shop.

Does barbel like sweet corn?

What are the best size pellets for the method feeder?

2mm pellet: The size of choice for many Method-feeder anglers and good when the water is cold but the fish are feeding confidently.

How long do you soak pellets for fishing?

Soak your pellets in lake water for a few minutes, making sure they are completely covered. As a rule of thumb, soak 4mm pellets for four minutes and 6mm pellets for six minutes.

What time of day is best to catch barbel?

The Prince of the River Many anglers rely on fishing during the hours of darkness to outwit the largest specimens, but big barbel can be readily caught throughout the day if you ensure you follow a few simple rules.

Do barbel eat worms?

Lobworms, red worms and brandling and other worms in all shapes and sizes are still widely used, though now less so than they were. Barbel love them, especially during hot summer days, and then a big juicy lobworm will often do the trick.

Can you use frozen sweetcorn for fishing?

Frozen Sweetcorn You could simply defrost frozen corn before using, however we like to boil it for a few minutes to tenderise it slightly. You can mix this along with groundbait too if you are using it which works well. A benefit of frozen corn is that it is better value than canned/tinned sweetcorn.

How do you catch barbel in summer?

Look for streamy, shallow water in the summer and don’t be put off by a depth as little as 50cm. If there’s cover provided by either weed or overhanging trees, so much the better, as that’s where you’ll find the fish.

How do you use sweetcorn as bait?

Placing sweetcorn directly onto the hook is quite easy – simply take a grain by the flattened side and pierce the rounded section of the grain with the hook point. Gently pass the hook point inside the grain and twist as you go to work the hook point out of the flat part and out of the grain.

Does barbel like fast water?

Barbel have evolved to live in fast-flowing rivers and are perfectly adapted to fast currents, especially in low, clear water conditions.

How do you find barbel in a river?

In terms of swim choice on smaller rivers in low / normal water conditions, you will find barbel almost anywhere, from slow deep pools to fast shallow glides and everywhere in-between. I do however find that barbel love to be close by to some form of cover, be that weed, rafts, submerged snags or overhanging trees.

Do barbel like maggots?

Maggots are a great bait not only for chub but also for barbel during the winter.