Ian/Joe- interesting discussion this. But can I add to the mix, the weight of the hook? When feeding, barbel rely, mostly I think, on touch and smell and are clearly super efficient at filtering. So, when feeding on pellets say, are they ejecting hook baits (hair rigged pellets) because they sense the additional weight and resistance? How many times do we barbel anglers describe the knocks and rattles as the annoying activities of chub (or dace/roach/bream etc) when they could be barbel, picking up and then instantly ejecting the bait, never giving us time to strike (and because we are waiting for the 3ft twitch)? At these times I have often resorted to touch ledgering and this has often resulted in a fish because I have responded far more quickly to an early indication of a take. Imagining it has been chub causing the taps and rattles, I have then been surprised to be hooked into a barbel.
Of course barbel are greedy and a bit stupid so at some point a fish won't be able to resist so picks up the bait and moves off with sufficient confidence to enable a sold register on the rod tip. So for me, the relativity of bait size to hook size is important because of the weight dynamic and one thing I haven't really tried is using something to help counter balance the weight of the hook.
I think at night when barbel are naturally more confident, the balance between hook and bait size can be exaggerated. There will also be other scenarios when it won't seem to matter either. Very hungry fish feeding enthusiastically and competitively for example. I experienced that dynamic for the first time when fishing the Wye. Spells where you couldn't put the rod down after casting because of the almost instant take you would get ( even before the feeder had emptied).
Personally, with rigs etc, I think a barbel's behaviour and confidence is more impacted by what they feel/sense rather than what they see. Cover is vital to them to operate with a general feeling of confidence and darkness provides that in abundance allowing them to roam and feed more confidently.
I agree Howard, i think Barbel are far more likley to feel something wrong by a sense of touch, or by sensing the weight of the hook in that respect it's another argument for smaller hooks !
But there are many pieces that make up the jigsaw
I do believe that Barbel if not actually 'feeling' the hook by weight or by feel, can in some way 'sense' something is not right, a small Barbel not wise to the ways of the world may not yet be educated to these things, but a big Barbel, that may have been on the bank many times throughout it's life may well get a sense of danger as it approaches a bed of feed or our hookbait.
This is another piece of that jigsaw where the quality of your bait really counts i believe - possibly quality is the wrong word as i also believe that certain species are particularly attracted to certain types of food.
Whatever the answer - quality or preference - i'm confident enough in my bait that in the majority of cases where a Barbel is pulling, nudging, sucking or whatever it's doing - maybe to see if it can get this highly desireable little morsel to take off
that eventually with no reaction from the bait it wont be able to help itself, and will take it .... Eventually - that's the importance of sitting on your hands, let it play for as long as it likes, but don't touch those twitchers !
Once it makes it's mistake and takes that hair rigged hook into it's mouth, unless it's by freaky chance, that hook is not likley coming back out again ! thats at least with something like a size 6, also helped by the larger bait that you would assume is being used.
Essentialy i'm hedging my bets, by using a large hook, compared to what some may use, i'm hoping that in forsaking a greater number of takes i will reduce the number of hook pulls to an absolute minimum, and yes i have had them even on size 6's.
2 seasons ago ( and i think i remember reporting it on the Loddon thread ) i tried going down to size 8's, resulting in two hook pulls in consequtive sessions, so i got the takes but no fish, i went back to 6's and no more hook pulls, at least not any time soon - it took me longer to get the takes but at least i put the Barbel on the bank.
There was a time when my standard hook for hair rigs was size 4, i hooked a reasonable amount of Barbel, and i can't recall any hook pulls at all, i reduced the size to see if i could get more takes, and did see an improvement without any hook pulls, at least not for some considerable time, though i did eventualy have one - and over the years a few more, they are rare enough that i consider the 6's to be the best option overall putting more fish - ( not that many but noticable ) on the bank, than the odd one i lose to a hook pull, some seassons i get none, others i've had one, and a few i've had a couple, i don't keep a record of them, but i don't think i'm telling fibs when i say i've never had more than 2 in a season.
So talking double figure Barbel - and the smaller as most will agree can fight much harder sometimes than the bigger ones, i'm certain that if the Barbel actually takes that 6 in on a hair ( not neccesarily true when a bait is mounted on the hook ) the chances of it ejecting it are very slim, and once hooked, you have a far greater chance of landing the Barbel.
Basically you are dealing with odds, there seems to me to be if you were to put it on a graph, a point of optimum size, which will put you more Barbel on the bank, whilst keeping your rate of takes at an acceptable level.
The things you need to consider i think are, the size of the Barbel you are likley ( or trying ) to catch, and the enviroment you are trying to catch them in, as to what size hook you feel is best suited, and more importantly you feel most confident in useing, whether from a point of view of more takes or more fish on the bank.
That's my case in a nutshell.
Ian.
