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In reply to Post #13
Old thread but really interesting ... I fish the Thames for Barbel occasionally I use 20mm drilled halibut pellets I recently got smashed to pieces by a very big cat ... but the big bream still take them as well...
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In reply to Post #12
Sound advice 👍
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In reply to Post #1
A good tip if you find a good swim but get bothered by crays is to pierce a tin of cheap cat food, tie a line to it and chuck it in the edge downstream.
Rods depend on the river, I use 1.75 on a smaller local river and 2.25 on the Trent where 3-10oz of lead is needed to hold bottom.
Rig wise everyone says running rigs, but with the tension on the tip it’s basically a bolt rig anyway and I’ve caught all my Barbel on lead clips. Plus you can drop the lead if it gets snagged. Hooklinks I use 12”-3ft depending on conditions and situation. Korda Kamo has done well for me as well as Preston 10lb feeder mono.
Rigs I keep it simple, I like the claw rig with either boilie or a maggot clip hair rigged on it.
When Barbel are on the feed, they’re on it, on many rivers finding them is the biggest task. You’ll also see loads of photos of Trent monsters and think it’s easy, but there are an awful lot of people fishing the Trent andan awful lot of people blanking! I’m a member of the Barbel Society Sutton syndicate and have had two 7 pounders in 4 nights so far this season, it’s fishing really hard at the moment probably due to late spawning.
Don’t be scared to put the bait in if you find them, there will be lots of nuisance fish hoovering it up too and this is where boilies and bigger pellets come into play.
I prefer Barbel to carp these days, the fight is just unbelievable and even a 7 or 8lb fish can take 10+ minutes to land on heavy gear (12lb mainline and 10-15lb hooklink). Pound for pound they destroy carp in fighting terms.
Great advice further up about resting them before you take them out of the water and then again before releasing. Just make sure they’re upright and strongly swimming against the net before you let them go. It can sometimes take 5-10 minutes, especially in summer. They absolutely exhaust themselves during the fight.
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In reply to Post #10
I fished a lake infested with crays and maggots were the answer. Also artificial baits were left alone, so you might want to try this with the method feeder
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In reply to Post #1
Rivers has it right on the fish care there 
As said, halibut pellets will do you well - I've also done good on a cube of ledgered luncheon meat.
They'll head for weed and snags so if you get a take, be prepared for a fight that's a bit more tricky than your typical carp heading for deep water. Do a bit of prep in terms of making sure you can get safely down to the water edge on the bank for netting and (hopefully) post catch care and release.
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In reply to Post #6
2.75 will be fine, that's what I had my first barbel on. Haven't fished for them for a few years as the otters smashed my local stretch to bits. I used to use my delks, running rigs, no hangers, and with a semi tight baitrunner. Barbel takes are generally pretty savage so be careful not to lose a rod with an over tight baitrunner or clutch
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In reply to Post #3
Good advice here 
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Fishing the Wye in Hereford Barbel can be practically one a chuck, I use the 3 knot breakaway with closed freeder and micro pellet anything you like as a hookbait really but I used to find two 10mm halibut boilies on the hair very good most days.
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Brilliant info thanks alot guys!
So im just going to use a running rig and maybe start with a foot long rig.
I dont want to buy rods so which would i be best off using, ive got some 12ft 2.75 carp rods or 10ft 3lb and then a 12ft feeder rod but i dont think that would be much cop if i hooked a decent one
Also do you use alarms or just watch the line/tip?
Oh also i do have bait runner reels but prefer the front drag of my big pits, is one better than the other for barbel fishing?
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In reply to Post #1
Barbel are easy to catch a pain up the arse to find. Wade through the blanks n when you find them keep your job shut. Even to your mates.
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https://www.thebarbelsociety.co.uk/barbel-fishing-a-basic-guide/
And the most important bit
https://www.thebarbelsociety.co.uk/research-conservation/handling-code/
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In reply to Post #1
First thing you need to know , barbel are not like carp ( obviously ) what I mean is , they fight till they have no fight left , so when you net them , they need to stay in the water a good five minutes facing the flow before you weigh /take a picture , then keep them in the water in your net untill there strong enough to swim off , unfortunately to many carpers go over to barbel not knowing this and it can lead to barbel floating downstream belly up .
Bait a few swims and fish them an hour at a time , the way I see it , if the Cray's are active you probably haven't any fish in your swim yet , move on .
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In reply to Post #1
I just use a running rig with about 18”-2ft hooklength
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How should i fish for barbel on a river with crayfish?
Never fished for barbel and never had to deal with crays before.
I was going to go with a method feeder untill i found out about the crays.
My usual carp set up is heli rig with a ronnie but might be a bit heavy duty? Id like to have a chance at the perch or roach that live there too
I dont own a float rod only my carp gear
A 10ft carp rod
A method feeder rod
Any suggestions?
Thanks
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