The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Big Bertha really showed her curves! What a cracking barbel!

Spectacular fish and a spectacular rod, nuff said

Good Moaning all,

I must admit I didn't expect a fish like that for my first of the season, or Bertha's first Barbel. All downhill from here on .

I think it's pleasing to see is that with a bit of luck and the right conditions you don't need to have 25Kg sack of pellets, beach casters, 4oz leads, massive brightly coloured egg-whisks (bait-joggers or whatever they are), a huge bivvy, with matching bed, and that knackered dazed look of what sleeping outside with the only company being a crate of Stella does to you. That seems to be the norm in the Angling Press or Social media for the mainstream Barbel nuts. Pictures in the middle of the night or very early dawn with the angler's head slanted sideways looking rather too lovingly at the fishes head. Wired.
You can catch barbel during the day with very little bait . I didn't put anything into the swim and it was the third piece of meat I hooked on, up to that point. What a tight-arse I know. But it was proper Spam (with added garlic) and not the Sainsbury's Chopped ham & Pork which is coarser and sometimes preferable to Spam as it holds firmly on the hook.

The Aerial I was using is a nice 30s lever-check 4 1/2" with German-silver rim (T10). Black paint finish, which is not as nice as the leaded finish as its a patchy now. An 1/2 oz lead and size 6 hook and of course Big Bertha. One of the most enjoyable aspects of the past two days was seeing a spot and casting into it just where you wanted. You see gaps in the opposite trees and I managed to "plopped" the tackle right there and allow it to bounce where I wanted to run the bait. Whether that's the rods helping...or just practice....all of Andrew's rods have that action to make casting almost as much fun as catching. Almost.
Any of Andrew's barbel rod would have handled that fish even at the distance it was hooked. Either the Senior Wallis Avon, Kennet Perfection, Festival Avon, or Marauder Barbel. Well even a Avon Perfection or Wizard it would just have been more.....interesting lol. Nottingham Barbel and Chub rod is off to the Wye in a couple of weeks. Hopefully bend that around a bit.....on a snag or two.

Great stuff!

Stunning Barbel. Congratulations to you both for a great result

Lovely fish & tackle, well done most would have not fished given the colour of the river.
Dave

Ello TTF'ers.

Bit more social media sh*te for Andrew's rods. Big Bertha had a airing yesterday, just for a few hours before hitting the road. A very autumnal day on the middle Wye, river bombing through and very coloured. Stinky meat resulted in a couple of nice barbel and a wee 2lb chub.

The barbel put up a good scrap in the flow and bending all that cane.

Hats a bit squiffy. They were different barbel ....honest lol.

Excellent, that rod looks so capable in the high water