A Must read for everybody.

[Firemantim]

Just in case anyone was wondering if I use a size 1 or something silly - I use a size 8 and make a spring type thing!

[Snape]

Those look like mighty big lumps of meat. Are they about 1/4 can?

[Firemantim]

Those look like mighty big lumps of meat. Are they about 1/4 can?

They are bang on a quarter of a big can, well apart form the bits I shave off to make the bait roll about a bit. Of course I sometimes use big baits if they are not taking these smaller ones!! :hahaha:

[Snape]

Those look like mighty big lumps of meat. Are they about 1/4 can?

They are bang on a quarter of a big can, well apart form the bits I shave off to make the bait roll about a bit. Of course I sometimes use big baits if they are not taking these smaller ones!! :hahaha:

Just how big can you go?
I have heard of people using 1/2 a can and someone even claiming to have put a whole can in the hook at once! (my rod wouldn't take it!)

[Firemantim]

Those look like mighty big lumps of meat. Are they about 1/4 can?

They are bang on a quarter of a big can, well apart form the bits I shave off to make the bait roll about a bit. Of course I sometimes use big baits if they are not taking these smaller ones!! :hahaha:

Just how big can you go?
I have heard of people using 1/2 a can and someone even claiming to have put a whole can in the hook at once! (my rod wouldn't take it!)

I have been known to use two of these - one on the hook/line above and one on the corkscrew! I use a 2lb tc JW Youngs rod and only put it in the margins - partly because thats where the fiush are, partly because my rod would break if I cast and most importantly because I like using my pin as much as possible and I cast like a complete spud!

[Leveller]

Very interesting article, thanks gateleaner
I've got a lot of time for Fred my barbel fishing owes him a lot,
I spend two years on the river dove, trying to find and catch barbel, with no joy at all, I read Fred's book and it made me think in a diferent way, soon enough I started finding fish , watching them feed was such an education, soon I could catch them regularly, my best season was in the 90s, I caught 108 dove barbel, last year I caught none the year before that I caught none the year before that I caught two, both doubles, within half an hour of each other, barbel are definitely bigger but there's so few of them now and so many more anglers after them it doesn't look good for the future.



Beautiful dove barbel

[Davyr]

last year I caught none the year before that I caught none

That sounds remarkably like my record with Dove barbel!