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Having said that, just had a 9.06 barbel within my first five minutes. Conditions pretty ideal for the time of year, mind you.

Reverting to Julian's origins question, until this season I'd fished the Loddon fairly obsessively for five or six years. After a couple of years of trying to distinguish my a**s from elbow, I did pretty well, fishing across all sections of the river. The last two years have been terrible, and...

I think all W&UF beats are dawn to dusk, Serge. Big variety of swims from slow and deepish to fast and shallow, so I'd be inclined to go 3-4 oz feeders to save you bouncing the feeder into a snag.

I suspect there's a good living to be had just selling replacement feeders in Ross. :)

And hats off to Andrew Tredgett for his work.

I am currently on my fourth landing net since the start of September, which is a new PB for me. Spoon nets by Fox, Korum and Wychwood have all snapped at the spigot. They're all as bad as each other...

Take my word for it, Jonathan, they absolutely do. Attach clip to lead swivel, slide the knotted PVA bag on to the clip, couldn't be simpler. Use them on nearly every session. Google them and you'll see what I mean.

Avid PVA clips make life much easier.

I'd agree with you Dave about feeders and clear waters in normal circumstances, but when you have a shoal of Wye barbel competing for food, they really don't seem to care. They will even take a pellet or boil on the drop seconds after the feeder crashes in.

On an annual week-long pilgrimage to the Wye last week, I was introduced to a swim packed with 7-8lb barbel, with allegedly some going into double figures. That's the good news. The bad news was this far-bank run was also full of hidden snags. The first time I fished it I hooked 24 barbel...

Not the cheapest but top quality: https://barbel.co.uk/site/rodpages/stalker9.php

Get the Loddon thread going again Granty, I was getting so lonely on there I gave up! :)

Changing the subject slightly, am I right in thinking the game fishing fraternity makes less noise about other predation than their coarse fishing brethren? I'd have thought that an otter would find plenty of food on, say, the River Test, yet we never seem to hear about them preying on trout...

Bought mine in the first week of March...yet to receive it.

Sounds like you've been tucking into your own boilies, Dickie. :)

Ha! If only, Darren. I'm closer to racking up 22 blanks on the Loddon than a 22lb-er. It's rock hard at the moment (or most moments, come to that). As far as I'm aware, it's five years since a fish over 18lb came out of the Loddon, and I'm sure that one is now inhabiting some heavenly riffle...

On this coming Sunday. 13C and overcast down south. Perfect. However, my missus is being unreasonable again and insists that I have to be at home for some sort of family gathering, apparently. I hope the rest of you don't have the same problem and can make the most of the excellent...

Very sad. Like many. I never actually met John, but through exchanging many messages, he felt like an old friend. As Paul M pointed out, he'd been catching a few this season off the Loddon as well. I hope that perfect barbel bait he was always looking for is up there waiting for him.

Being discontinued, accordingly to the guys at Yateley Angling Centre, which has sent me into a mild panic. I know there are plenty of options out there, but they are pretty much the only barbel hooks I've ever used.

You cast in. It's likely that in some time in the first hour, or even first few minutes, you'll get knocks on the rod tip, or even one that makes the whole rod rattle. You know it's a chub and you sit on your hands. There's some consolation that at least you know your hookbait is in play...