Following on from my recent post regarding my articles I will now be posting regarding the enigmatic Barbel!
The first article being “Barbel Behaviour”.
Firstly I will like to take this opportunity to tell you a little about myself. My name is Richard Easom and I was born in Nottingham on September the 4th 1979. From the age of five I have been a keen angler and recently become a very serious Barbel angler. I love football also, Nottingham Forest are my club and even though I am ‘Forest till I die’, it comes secondary to my passion and enthusiasm for fishing. This is how I began to get interested in fish behaviour and more notably in relation to this forum and why you are reading, the Barbel.


At the age of sixteen I took a great interest in fish that were in my tank at home, goldfish to be precise watching and observing their behaviour in regards to food and feeding time (They know when it is by the second), hours were spent doing this and for no other reason than I was just interested or engrossed at what was happening at the bottom of my tank, call me a geek if you like.


A lot of what I will write in this article started from that tank and moved on to the wonderful wild rivers our country is famous for and the general coarse fish in contained.


At the age of Twenty I started out my Barbel fishing career if you like. I started on the middle Trent and to this day nothing much has changed apart from the way I approach the fish. I caught a Barbel on my first session and was totally chuffed, nothing big just a five pounder but to me it was a double, bigger even. I loved the awesome fight, nothing like any Carp I had caught before, the sheer strength of the fish made me respect the Barbel as the king of the river and one I wanted to learn more about. I started off using Carp rigs, combi-links etc and of course they worked but I later learned this wasn’t due to my advanced Carp rigs that fooled the Barbel.


Years past fishing for Barbel and the more I learned from other Barbel angler’s the more I realised the rigs I was using had no place in Barbel fishing nor did the way I approached them, sitting there hoping, praying sometimes crying for something to happen on my rod tip. I became a serial blanker , time after time I sat there in the same spot for me to blank….again!


At the age of 26 I became obsessed with Barbel, so much more than any other fish I have studied and I decided to start understanding and observing so that I could gain knowledge I needed to first, catch more fish generally but ultimately put the doubles on the bank. Since then I have had numerous doubles to 14 Lb which is currently my PB but I will smash that this season.


So became the first process of many stages, “Barbel Behaviour”.
I began a journey to Norwich and the River Wensum to do some fishing and to start the first process in the shallows where Barbel were present and then onto the Trent for later analysis. Now to go through every stage and every day I tested or examined Barbel it would take a book of mammoth proportions and that’s not what I want to do here, as it would be boring to read. I just want to go through my findings and conclusions and then I am open to criticism.


I began by feeding pellets well upstream from the fish and watching them as they fell and hit the bottom, the pellets began to wonder off downstream bouncing on rocks etc, the current was strong so I guess this was to be expected, whilst following these 4mm pellets they began to break down and leave a dust as pieces broke off from the main pellet. The dust/pellet pieces began whizzing downstream which I followed for around 80 or so yards to where a group of small Barbel and Chub were laying.


The Chub greedy fish that they are started to stir and their mouths began to go ten to a dozen, a sure sign they have been alerted by something and are on the feed and actively looking for it. I was not aware of any Chub actually taking any of the pieces and the Barbel never even stirred. I went back to where I fed and began the process again, this time however the Chub were ready and aware and began feeding with fury, initially two, then two more from behind a bush turned up and joined the other two.


So the process was started again and to my amazement I followed it down only 60 yards and the four Chub were there, I was taken aback initially so I walked to where the Chub were at the start of the process and nope nowhere to be seen except for the three Barbel, dorment. I found this incredibly exciting they were following the source, all four of them. What now I thought? Great the Chub are ravenous but what about the Barbel? I considered doing something different but I eventually decided to keep doing what I was doing, trying to re-create a stick float situation where you’ll feed little and often and bring the fish in!


So the process continued and with each handful of pellets the Chub got closer and closer until they were literally right there where I was throwing the Pellets. By this time I’m thinking this is fantastic, they were so confident I could have put my hand in and they would have fed out of it I am sure. Of course I didn’t do this, I kept feeding the little pellets and after an hour of this I forgot about the Barbel so I went to where I first saw them, guess what? No sign. Where the hell are they?! Did they get spooked? Did they move on? Many thoughts went through my head, why did they not do what the Chub did? So I went back to feeding the Chub but I changed the amount I threw in because they were havin’ it so to speak. So two handfuls of pellets and hemp after hemp (Full catty) in the catapult every 3 to 4 minutes. Well now things are changing the Chub are beginning to slow down (Pellets and hemp are getting them full if there is such a thing with Chub), and pellets are again getting through downstream.


So back along to the start where I had saw the Barbel, I go to see if the Barbel have returned, nope!
Now comes the time where I am wondering what I did or did not do to make that group of Barbel not feed, even a little bit, the day itself was not conducive to Barbel, bright, sunny, hot and no breeze to speak of. So I found it odd that the Chub were really having it and the Barbel, dorment. These conditions are usually bad for any fish but the Chub were ravenous. I kept feeding until the Chub were just not taking any more, they vanished! 3 hours into the process I felt I learnt lots but not on the fish I wanted to learn about, I never had chance.


I kept the feed going in and decided to walk along the margins where the bait was going through and low and behold there’s four to five Barbel under a tree, the smaller one intercepting the pellets and hemp getting washed down in the flow. I then started to wonder how long they were there. I’d been feeding at least an hour stepped up every 3 – 4 minutes. Last time I went to see if any Barbel were present I went to where they were at the start of the process, I honestly didn’t think they would move up towards the bait, I honestly believed they were backing off as they had vanished.


It was definitely the same Barbel but one or two more had joined the group and 20 to 30 yards further upstream towards the source. Okay now we’re in business I kept on feeding following them down and observing what they did, well…I thought it was bizarre, the smallest Barbel in the group would take a couple of pellets turn and spook off downstream, what’s this all about I thought? Has he seen me? The rest of the Barbel? Well they just sat there in the flow. I kept the process up and they were not touching it, after 15 minutes the one that had spooked came back and began feeding, this time a little more than before. Weird, this time not spooking just taking some pellets and hemp and waiting for the next batch to come through the swim, each time taking a little more while the others just watched on, lol.


After thirty or so more minutes the bigger Barbel began to become interested and for what was literally Five minutes they were going mad on the bait, then as quick as the frenzy started it stopped, the fish hardly moving from the margin or from under the tree the whole time (just the small Barbel once or twice). They wasn’t prepared to move to it but were quite prepared in a Five minute madness spell of feeding to take free offerings that past their line of vision, almost mid water. Why? I took a look at the sky and ask myself is this the weather that’s conducive to Barbel? Well No it isn’t so the Barbel are wary of the bait and are not happy to feed unless it’s under cover and then before they become competitive they will send the smallest one out first to test it’s all clear.


This spookiness and reaction of Barbel is not because they remember being caught on this bait or they think a line and hook are attached, it’s due to weather conditions and how they feed generally on this type of weather. It wouldn’t matter if they had never been caught before, for all I know they probably haven’t. It’s just something within the elements of the weather that made them cautious. So people don’t ever think it’s your rigs or line, Barbel are not bothered by line or whatever they just don’t like not seeing it and being spooked when touching it with their fins. I heard Bob Roberts mention this recently, but I knew this already from my tests.


What that test does tell me is that during these type of days look for overhanging trees or some place in the shade, the feature could be underwater also like streamer weed. You may want to think about the way your line lays and from what side. Barbel passing through your line i.e. approaching your lead first gives the Barbel more chance to catch their fins on it thus removing the pack/shoal in lightening quick fashion. However one exception to this rule is when Barbel are ravenous they couldn't care less what hits their fins they just want the food, and every time you go fishing that is the environment you need to try and create for Barbel, to have the best results. To do this and to stand the best chance you need to feed.. In small shallow rivers this is common, one quick thud of the rod tip and then nothing for hours, Barbel are not clever but when they are frightened by something they cannot see they will not return for a while, one out all out.


Whilst in rivers such as the Trent the Barbel will approach bait from all angles and whilst it’s deeper in parts there’s less chance of this happening. Pinning the rig down can help when it’s clear but in shallower swims when you can actually see them then it’s always best to position your feeder upstream of the feeding fish.


I have done testing and experiments on hot sunny days for years and I thought I would use this particular day in my article purely so you can understand yourself in the hardest possible form. If the water is clear and the sky is too then Barbel will 90% of the time feed in the way I have described. What Barbel lack in eyesight they make up for in smell and scent glands, it’s like humans really, you can have a blind man who can hear ten times better than you or I and vice-versa.


On overcast and mild days with colour in the water say a good 2ft and running off will see the best Barbel conditions (especially if that extra water is warm) they will follow the Chub to the source but it works in a sequence, in an order if you like. The Chub renowned for being the ‘pigs of the river’ will nine times out of ten feed first, followed by the Barbel’s foot soldiers aka the smallest Barbel of the group, they use this Barbel as the guinea pig, not because they are wary but because their make-up design them that way no matter how conducive the conditions. While the smallest Barbel takes bait regular the bigger Barbel wait behind until they have seen enough and almost fight, bully the smaller ones out the way.


Many top Barbel anglers believe feeding for 3 hours consistently in perfect Barbel conditions gives you the best chance of landing the biggest in the shoal and I personally go along with this theory. You must always keep the feed going in and don’t stop, pellets and hemp don’t stick around for long enough in your swim (unless it’s full of boulders) for you to be able to do that. People think even in a steady flow that bait will sit near your lovely presented Pellet all day, WRONG!


The pellets or hemp are only useful for as long as they are in your swim and then you need to top up again. You need to keep those fish downstream interested so they can/will follow it, this is usually 5 to 10 minutes depending on flow. No point sticking a PVA stick out full of pellets and leaving it, it is simply not going to stay there and any Barbel that could be interested downstream will not find the source easily from one lot of bait. You have to pull them to you. It’s like tempting Pike with a lure they will follow it because it’s bait and sometimes take it very close to the bank after following it for 40 or so yards the same applies when Barbel fishing, but it’s a steady process not a quick one.

My conclusion after many tests on Barbel behaviour is exactly this:

1) Barbel will communicate with one another if they brush your line they’ll let the others know very quickly.

2) Don’t get bogged down with rigs even in very hot and sunny days, sometimes it’s more about the bait your using as oppose to your line or rigs.
3) Use long hook lengths up to 6ft to target the Barbel in clear and hot conditions.

4) Look for shade, if not shade the deepest part of the river, light devalues the deeper you get.

5) Keep rigs simple, running feeder and no shiny swivels when it’s sunny and very clear water.

6) KEEP THE BAIT GOING IN!!! Just because you’ve sat there bite less for an hour it doesn’t mean they are not eating what you’re putting in, keep it working by casting out very regular to get those fish homing in on your bait.

7) If you can catch fish on the hottest days, on the coldest days and when not conducive conditions you’ll catch Barbel at any other time as well. You learn more from the bad days fishing then you do from a good one.

8) Barbel will openly feed right on top of the feeder landing and not care less about it, if you have them going on the feed you could wave a stick at them and they wouldn’t care less. That’s why in good Barbel conditions they will be onto bait within half an hour so if your not catching move.

9) The roving approach works best for Barbel but I have found fishing static when good conditions prevail the Barbel will come to you, and quickly. In very hot days they won’t move much (20 yards at most and then it will be a station) but still feed in small proportions and at certain times of the day.

10) This is very important and have found it invaluable and will bring me onto my next article “My tactics and methods”. Get your bait acting as natural as possible, meaning like a freebie, fish are used to intercepting like this in strong to medium flows and to get your bait acting in this way will give you a massive edge as I will explain in my next article.

11) And lastly If you find Chub you generally find Barbel just behind!

I hope I have helped at least one of you out there and given you food for thought, many anglers may already know all this about their favourite fish after all your all on a Barbel forum because of that reason. But there may just be some novices that need that little bit of help and I hope it would appeal to you and may give the more experienced lads something small. I can live with that.

Thanks for reading. "My Tactics and Methods" will be coming soon.

interesting article Ricky, I look forward to the next one,
cheers, Leon

Originally Posted by Ricky3112

..... Well No it isn’t so the Barbel are wary of the bait and are not happy to feed unless it’s under cover and then before they become competitive they will send the smallest one out first to test it’s all clear. 1) Barbel will communicate with one another if they brush your line they’ll let the others know very quickly. 5) Keep rigs simple, running feeder and no shiny swivels when it’s sunny and very clear water.

On an initial reading I find much good sense in the article, which made it well worth a read. Initially I feel I must comment on the above short extracts though:

I think you are taking quite a leap of faith by suggesting that barbel will send out the smallest fish to go and check out how safe it is to feed. This implies a level of communication that few if any fishery scientists would be able to accept.
" Hey Sheila, seen all that food drifting past? I don't feel good about it. How about we send out young Albert to see if it really is manna from heaven?"
I don't think so.
At best you might suggest that the smaller fish, younger and more inexperienced, possibly already pushed to the outer edge of the shoal, might usually be the first to go look. Grandma did not send him.
I might also expect, in such circumstances, usually to catch the smaller fish first. I don't find that in my own catches. Do you?

Barbel are usually shoal fish, if one spooks by brushing line, or for whatever other reason, then it may cause the others to spook too. But that first fish will not have communicated the reason why is took flight. Herd instinct is all that will be happening. That is of course a form of communication in itself, but on a less high plane than might be implied by your words.
In many rivers there is so much junk, so many lost feeders, lost lengths of line, that barbel probably feel line on their bodies on a very regular basis, and view feeders, swivels, leads etc as a normal part of their environment. Do you think that in those streams the fish will be spooked by brushing against line?


Avoid shiny swivels?.....How does that equate to the videos we have seen of barbel ignoring garish blue plastic toys a few inches away? A swivel is pretty small, and I feel unlikely to be seen as a threat by a barbel. But no harm can come of using a dull one of course.

Cheers Ricky, interesting read.

a good read,but i find the 'communication' theory a bit ott imo,i've heard many times people say "don't return a chub where you caught it as it will tell the shoal to move" absolute drivel! fish don't have a big enough brain for such conscious decision making or communicative skills,as for fish in tanks they know when its food time because they see the lid opening its a learnt behaviour, as is with the feed going in the river i call it pre-baiting, i think its fairly common knowledge that chub and barbel swim and feed together,looking forward to part 2.

Thanks Ricky. Interesting read that, look forward to the next article.

ATB Steve.

very interesting indeed, and well written, i only disagree with point 1, and with the sending out the smallest barbel, in my opinion bigger barbel are more wary and will watch what the smaller ones are doing before deciding to feed, there not sending them ou,t smaller barbel are less wary, whereas the bigger ones have been caught before and once they see the smaller fish feeding confidently will chose to do so themselves.
keep em coming mate
cheers
jerry

Food for thought there Ricky. I once read an article written by Terry Hearn the carp angler. He was going on about percentages when carp fishing, and by using teflon coated hooks and non shiney swivels etc and whether it matters or not. If that lessens the chance of spooking fish by 1% then it's worth doing. Add to that all the other small factors that lesser successful anglers don't do and possibly that's what makes some anglers better than others. I have watched Barbel feeding in clear, shallow water on the Teme. How many times that hookbait is picked up and ejected successfully in a session is mind blowing. Or other scenarios , where they scoff all the freebies, bag included and leave the hookbait well alone.None of them spooking but seemed to know which one has the hook. Made me wonder how the hell they actually get caught.

Thanks Ricky,

It's good to read about your experiences feeding like that. It takes a lot of patience to sit there and just observe, my hat is most doffedly doffed.

I'm looking forward to "My Tactics and Methods"

Thanks a lot guys for your thoughts. I think however I have been misunderstood regarding Barbel's communication. When I say this I don't mean that they will talk to each other and tell one another to avoid that or this line, I just have seen on numerous occasions that they will get spooked on line that they can't see as oppose to something they can. I don't know how fish will react to discarded line at the bottom of any river, I didn't have the option to test this.

I just wanted to give you my findings. Whether they communicate or sense something isn't right, they will spook off and take the others with them. I am not naive to believe they will communicate in the same way that we do, they are fish after all. In my findings I have tried to portray the hardest possible Barbel conditions in which they will spook at certain line like Fluoro but think nothing of a 20Lb mono being around the same fish. Catching a Barbel and putting it back does not scare other Barbel, in fact I have witnessed Barbel being caught to be put back and for them to join their shoal. The others will be feeding around it and the Barbel that was caught would just lay there recovering if you like.

I am also not saying the biggest Barbel will send out the smallest, it's just that it seems to happen, whether this is the bigger Barbel telling them to do this, well...who really knows? But it does seem unlikely. The smallest of the shoal tend to feed first which is why I said the biggest Barbel send their foot soldiers out, well that was probably a wrong choice of words. Whether they are indeed wary of being caught seems unlikely though, it just seems to be the way that Barbel feed in most occasions.

I can categorically say that in bright hot and sunny days when the water is clear and very shallow that shiny swivels do have an effect on Barbel, it stands out like a sore thumb and they do spook on it. I am talking about situations or scenarios where Barbel are at their hardest here as I have been in situations where water is favourable and a perfect Barbel situation and because they are so pre-occupied with feeding they don't give a rats ass about their fins hitting line or shiny swivels. It seems that all changes when light on the water is an issue, if your are placing shiny swivels in shade or under trees etc because light devalues it doesn't really make a difference, it will however if you place this in the bright part of a shallow water. If deep then again I doubt it will make much difference.

I find Braid better than Fluoro, I have tested both as hook length materials and found Barbel will spook more easily on Fluoro than they will on braid, why? Well I think it's because they can't see it! I am however not saying they spook to never come back they sometimes do but they are cautious and wary until they are confident again. I use Braid to eliminate any risk with spooking on the line as in my findings they spook on things they can't see. Barbel will see a lot clearer in clearer conditions and seeing your hook in these situations seems plausible which is why sometimes smaller hooks in these scenarios work best.

Again to reiterate the word I used "communication" in the article might have been a little too strong and "sense" might have been more appropriate.

Thanks for all your comments, it's good to have an open mind because it will then make you and I become better anglers but like I said I have dedicated 4 years of my life observing and these results were based on "My" findings. I have not felt confident enough to write about Barbel until now, and sure that 90% of my findings were true in most cases.

Wait till you see my methods and the way I present my bait, some of you would never have even thought about fishing in this way so I am sure it will help someone.

Thanks again for your positive comments and constructive criticisms it all helps, and working together will make every serious Barbel angler become better and understand more, which is very important. And onto Part 2 in a couple of days...

By the way my goldfish knew it was feeding time before my lid was opened, lol.