Essential Guide to Barbel Fishing

Barbel fishing is more popular than ever, yet so many anglers seem uncertain about how to go about catching these different river species. We asked our resident blogger, Andy Grenfel, to run through a few pointers to get those rod tips banging in no time!

I was a late starter when it came to barbel and chub fishing, even though I have some superb stretches of the river just minutes from my front door. I have since had a bit of success on the rivers and one thing that I figured out quite early on was that you need to have the right kit for the job!

WHAT IS BARBEL FISHING?

Barbel fishing is a type of coarse fishing that targets barbel, a strong, fast freshwater fish commonly found in rivers across the UK and Europe

Take a closer look at the barbel fishing kit you need for a day somewhere like the River Wye. You don’t necessarily need a strong tackle, but your setup needs to be balanced in the right areas. Don't forget to click on the images for more information on each product!

Table of Contents

1. Barbel Rods
2. Barbell Reels
3. Barbel Line
4. Barbel Hooks & Hooklinks
5. Barbel Leads
6. Barbel Bait & Hookbaits

Barbel Rods

There are many good quality barbel rods, but spend time looking for what you need. Ideally, it will need to be 12ft, with a test curve between 1lb and 2.5lb, the faster the river is pushing through, the heavier the lead or feeder will need to be; therefore, a bigger test curve will help. For summer fishing on the Wye and similar rivers, with the river at normal levels, 1.5-1.75lb test curve is perfect.

Star Picks = Daiwa Infinity Barbel Rod and the Korum Barbel Rod series.

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Barbell Reels

I prefer a small Baitrunner style reel, that way if you do take your eye off the rod, you are less likely to see the rod disappearing downriver towed by a barbel!

You don’t need to be casting far and on a lot of rivers, an underarm lob is plenty, it will need to hold a 2lb line though, any lighter and you risk being snapped off on any rocks or snags.

Some good starting points would be a small Shimano Baitrunner or a Daiwa equivalent.

Star Pick = Daiwa GS 5000 Baitrunner

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Barbell Line

Fishing on the river is all about durability and reliability. You need something as tough as old boots. Breaking strain, don’t opt for anything below 12lb or you will soon run into trouble; you need abrasion resistance and stopping power.

Line that I would recommend would be Gardner GT80+, Nash Bullet Mono and Korda SubLine.

Star Pick = Gardner GT80+ in 12lb

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Barbel Hooks & Hooklinks

I tend to use the KORDA IQ in 10lb (no less), for all my summer fishing on the River Wye, hook links of 3ft are the norm, and I’ll go longer if I deem it worthwhile. When targeting chub, I shorten that to about 2ft or less. A simple knotless knot rig to a Guru size 10 MWGB hook will get you plenty of bites. Other hooks I like to use include the Korum Penetrator Hooks or Drennan Super Specialist Barbel hooks.

Star Pick = Korda IQ2

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Barbel Leads

 I know a lot of people like to fish running leads for the river but they just don’t work as well as people think, when fishing on the river you need to pay out some line to deliberately put a bow in your line, otherwise the tight line between the rod tip and lead will see your lead pulled out of position and likely into a snag. For me any small lead clips are perfect, they are nice and discreet, and they are bombproof. Depending on the river conditions, I start with a 3-oz gripper lead and then up to a 4-oz if the river is pushing through. It might sound like a lot but the power of a river with a bit of floodwater pushing through is immense and I have used two 4oz leads before, just to hold the bottom!

Star Pick = Fox Kling on swivel leads

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Barbel Bait & Hookbaits

Summer on the Wye is all about pellets, pellets, and more pellets! That said, I always have with me a small selection of other bait, namely sweetcorn, some stinky boilies, and some hemp for when the fishing is tough. With my pellet,s I take some Hinders medium Ellipse Pellets and half fill a 3-pint bait tub, then I add a good glug of the Hinders Barbel Bomb liquid until they are coated, pop the lid on, give it a good shake, then leave overnight if possible. I then put a small handful in a PVA mesh bag and tie up a load of them before my trip. I use the bags on the hook and the loose pellets in the tub for feeding with the catapult, little and often. I’ll often pre bait 5 or 6 swims with a pouchful of pellets as well.

Hookbait wise, the Munch Baits Bio Marine glugged in matching liquid or the Hinders Barbel Bomb dumbells.

Star Pick = Hinders Elips Pellets and the Munch Baits Bio Marine range.

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