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End of season

I

Ian Booth

Senior Member
I have packed away my Barbel fishing tackle I will be pike fishing now till March. Not had a bad season catching 13 Barbel 3 over 10lb 19 Chub 3 Bream and a Tench.
 
Well done Ian.
Is there any reason why you pack the barbel kit away so early. I can understand roving with a spinning rod will be warmer than sitting in one spot once it turns cold, but it is still mild and a great time for barbel.
 
Wow that's an early finish! My barbel fishing season never gets going until October and piking rarely gets going before December.
 
Now the leaves are falling off the trees I reckon barbel fishing starts for real :) Darker nights mean less anglers woohooo.
 
From September onwards I often find that it's all or nothing, either struggle for a bite or a real red letter day. No doubt that the barbel are back fighting fit though having beefed themselves up ready for the winter.
 
My best part of the session for Barbel and Chub is in the winter months. There are fewer people on the banks and the natural food like berries, insects, plants start to diminish. Also in the early winter, the fish start to get ready for the colder months stuffing their mouths with proteins. With the later dawns and early evenings even better
 
I know I will be missing out on some good Barbel fishing but I always start pike fishing
on the 1st of October.
 
I fished right through last winter until the end of the season for barbel, and kept a record of conditions. I have yet to catch a December barbel, but will be keeping an eye on the river levels and weather to pick the most likely time to catch!
They have to feed at some point each month, and sometimes it's just down to luck if your there i believe.
 
I don't mind admitting that as the autumn turns to winter, normally about November it all goes to rats for me. I don't think I've ever discovered this magic winter fishing that people describe.
 
I used to go into pike mode during October and pray for high pressure and good water clarity. Nowadays it’s the opposite, and the barbel gear never gets put away.
That said, .. October is the month I can start trotting in earnest as the weed dies back, so my thoughts also turn to chub, perch,roach and grayling. Fishing according to conditions and enjoying the winter skys and scenery are all part of the angling calendar for me. I hope to find time to tempt few good Avon and Stour pike,..then before I know it it will be March.:)
 
Stephen Crowhurst said:
I don't mind admitting that as the autumn turns to winter, normally about November it all goes to rats for me. I don't think I've ever discovered this magic winter fishing that people describe.
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I understand that, bites do dry up, but chose your sessions well as to when you go and it can be very rewarding, obviously fishing where there is a greater density of fish always helps, like the Wye, where the maggot feeder comes into it's own in the colder months, and what a bonus with no Kyaks, Canoes, Inflatables or whatever to be seen.:)
 
Dave Taylor said:
I used to go into pike mode during October and pray for high pressure and good water clarity. Nowadays it’s the opposite, and the barbel gear never gets put away.
That said, .. October is the month I can start trotting in earnest as the weed dies back, so my thoughts also turn to chub, perch,roach and grayling. Fishing according to conditions and enjoying the winter skys and scenery are all part of the angling calendar for me. I hope to find time to tempt few good Avon and Stour pike,..then before I know it it will be March.:)
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I agree Dave, but long trotting in winter (which I love doing) crucifies my fingers :(
 
I love this time of year and feel like a kid in a sweetshop.
Granted it can be harder work but then isn't that one of the attractions of river fishing? Barbel fishing on saturday was slow due to influx of cold water, typically waited all day for a pull and got one about 7lb around 4pm, whilst unhooking upstream rod went and I lost it - only 2 bites of the day.
I always have a whip in the quiver so used some week old maggots to catch a few minnow whilst the fishing was slow. After the barbel activity I left one rod out for barbel and converted to lievbaiting for perch under my feet, nothing huge( 1lb) but fantastic fun right into dark.And the anticipation...can't beat it.
I'll often do the same thing for pike as always have a few floats/traces in my bag and a 2 1/4t/c barbel rod will manage a good pike, so saves carting lots of rods - it's having the motivation to swap and change that can be tough.
I live a good way from the river and never quite know what I'm going to turn up to so do like to cover a few bases as you never know
The week previous I specifically went out to catch livebaits to do some leapfroggin with the pike rods - couldn't catch a roach or dace on maggot feeder but had a bumper haul of barbel/chub - best of the season.
So you never can tell.
 
My season never started, I pondered renewing the ticket for the stretch I have fished for the previous three seasons, but as results were so bad it I didn't rejoin. So I haven't got the rods out yet this season. On the plus side I haven't spent a small fortune on petrol traveling to the river 3 times a week. The downside is I have put on 4 kilos and my wife wants me to sell the tackle I brought.
 
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