New year, new record
Last updated: 10th January 2008
Keith: more top tips
I still get the shakes when I catch barbel, no matter how big, such is their power. While the weather stays favourable, if you have the opportunity, give it a go.
Keith Arthur
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Having recommended perch as a prime target a few weeks ago (see here), to have news of a potential record-breaker and the first reported fish of over 6lbs in the first week of 2008 is gratifying to say the least!
This monster was taken from a free-fishing section of the River Thames between Hampton Court and Kingston and surely underlines the massive big-fish capability of London's river.
The fish was caught in classic big-perch fashion, on a small, floatfished live bait but as the angler was targeting pike the gudgeon bait was impaled on a pair of treble hooks on a wire trace. Of course this is admirable as hooking a pike - or zander which also inhabit this section of river - on a normal nylon hooklength can lead to a bite-off, leaving the fish with a hook in the jaw, at best.
Having expected a spell of much colder weather this month I haven't really mentioned one species that is well worth fishing for when conditions are right: barbel.
Really you need conditions directly opposite for those required for targeting perch; a decent spell of rain, with mild weather prevailing.
As long as the water temperature is above 6C with some colour, there is a chance. A pal of mine has caught four barbel from his local small river this week, with the best two weighing in at exactly 10lb and 11lb 5oz.
His latest message to me said he was going to keep trying until: "...old Jack Frost sticks his head round the door."
Pellets are the current high-fashion bait for barbel and are responsible for some mammoth catches, with halibut pellets the top choice.
However, I steer away from halibuts in winter, far preferring the low-oil 'coarse fish' or carp pellets. 8-10mm is the ideal size, hair-rigged behind a size 10 hook.
A decent alternative is a trimmed down 10mm boilie; trimmed down simply by peeling off the outer skin. A smear of paste can work as an additive to either, using the boilie mix unboiled or some soaked pellets to make the paste.
Feeder fishing
I steer away from feeder fishing in winter, far preferring the PVA mesh bag approach with some crushed pellets, salmon fry crumb and crumbled boilies in a bag no larger than a cherry tomato.
I use a bomb heavy enough to hold bottom securely as once the bomb moves the hookbait will be out of the circle of feed. I don't recast too often either, every thirty minutes is plenty.
To find barbel in your local river, as long as it holds them of course, seek out the flow but not the 'boils'.
One thing you probably won't do is miss the bites, in fact it is a very good idea to use rod rests that grip the rod tightly, or sit comfortably holding the butt with a rest positioned halfway along the rod.
In my experience there will be a sharp 'tap' on the rod tip, almost immediately followed by the rod wrenching round. There is no need to strike!
Barbel have a deserved reputation as the hardest-fighting fish, pound-for-pound, in our rivers but there are a few tricks to keep them under control. Use as much pressure as possible to stop them heading downstream; achieve that and the fish will happily swim upstream.
As long as it can be kept out of any snags, the battle should be won by the angler. Keeping the rod low will help and remember that fish will naturally swim away from pressure, so if you try and pull downstream it will swim up.
Once the fish starts to tire it will leave the bottom and swirl in midwater. At this stage it is a LONG way from beaten but have the net ready, not in the water but along the bank. When the fish is on the surface put the net in and steer it firmly in.
Barbel give their all and need some recovery time. My choice is to place them in a keepnet with the bottom pegged UPSTREAM so the fish will swim into the bag end of the net and rest up.
Other anglers who use large landing nets will leave the fish in there, ensuring it always faces upstream. Once the fish appears ready for return, hold it under the belly with one hand and by the wrist of the tail in the other, facing upstream. Maintain the fishes balance until it kicks strongly away.
I still get the shakes when I catch barbel, no matter how big, such is their power. While the weather stays favourable, if you have the opportunity, give it a go.
Keith answers your questions...
Keith, I'd just like to point out that the campaign for sea angling rod licenses reflects a very 'southern' bias; in Scotland, no form of angling attracts a rod license. There are many issues up here regarding the quantity and diversity of inshore stocks - that is those that most sea anglers typically target - but none of which will be realistically addressed purely by Scottish sea anglers paying for a license, please remember, Scottish fishermen account for 70% of the commercial fishing revenues whilst we are only 10% of the UK sea angling population. There are many issues you could address here in Scotland - the impact on charter boats (over 100 gone out of business in the last 20 years or so); decay of communities dependent on sea angling, decimation of spurdog stocks, the wiping out of the Clyde as a fishery for anything other than nephrops and on and on and on. I think it would be far better were you to broadcast articles on issues really affecting Scotland, rather than supporting something which would actually be seen as a negative for Scottish sea anglers. Regards, Steve B.
KEITH SAYS: Steve B, as Scotland has no licensing structure, with most of the freshwater fishing run on what to many would seem a feudal system, I don't see any probability of a sea fishing licence for Scottish anglers.
I am slightly perplexed as to why you would perceive it to be a negative though. Currently you pay nothing and get less: paying something would at least give Scottish sea anglers a numerical voice. Scotland may account for much of the UK's sea fishing income, but that is landing value not what is actually caught in Scottish, or even UK, waters. The commercials have already seen their way clear to fishing those to destruction while a toothless recreational sea angling sector looks on.
Happy New Year
Hi Keith, My name is Geoff from France/Turkey. Latest question, in my local fish market they were selling Akye, or as they called it Lambfish? I haven't heard of either - but wow it is fantastic eating and was selling very cheap at 9ytl a Kilo (less than 4 UK pounds ) . Do you recognise it? If so, any suggestions on how to catch it? I think it was netted as there were no signs of hook marks and there were about 50 of these beautiful creatures .Quite sad to see actually, but didn't stop me buying two for the freezer! I am in Fethiye, the Aegean sea/Med, actually for a more well known area, we can see Rhodes Silhouetted on the Horizon at sunset. Any ideas or name for this fish please? Geoff Bramfitt
KEITH SAYS: Hello Geoff, I can find no reference to lambfish or akye anywhere but I did find leerfish for which the common Turkish name is akya baligi. These are members of the 'jack' family so the flesh would be reasonably firm, perfect for grills, kebabs etc.
I have never caught one but their close relatives: crevalle jack, amberjack, bar jack and amaco jack regularly make an appearance when I'm fishing in the Florida Keys. Just recently an English angler fishing for wels catfish in the Ebro Delta in Spain caught a leerfish, known as palomida in that part of the World. It weighed in at 65lb!
I can tell you that, like ALL jacks, it will fight VERY hard and be extremely agrressive. If you use one of the internet search engines and type in 'leerfish' you should get a picture of what you ate.
