Barbel are one of the nation's favourite fish to catch, and while they can be very easy to tempt at times, there are situations when it pays to have a variety of the best barbel baits with you to try and entice one if all else fails
Whether you are fishing bigger rivers like the Trent or the Thames or stalking fish on chalkstreams like the Itchen or Avon the majority of barbel will favour at least one of the baits we have listed here...
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Meat
Meat is one of the most versatile barbel baits, thanks to a firm texture that means it can be used in chunks ranging from a quarter of a tin, right down to tiny pieces. As a rule-of-thumb, use smaller pieces during daylight and when the water is clear. Meat can easily be dyed and flavoured, but plain cubes have caught countless barbel and will continue to do so.
Go for brands that have a higher meat content as these will have a firm texture that stays on the hook. You can also try baits like Poloni or other garlic sausage style baits, hotdogs make a fantastic bait too, as does Peperami.
USING THE BEST BARBEL FISHING REELS WILL HELP YOU TAME EVEN THE LARGEST FISH WITH EASE!
Pellets
Halibut pellets revolutionised barbel fishing more than 20 years ago, and are still super-effective. We find it best to use one or two 11mm pellets on the hair, and you can even buy pellets that have been pre-drilled, making them easy to use.
This size of pellet is also easy to feed using a catapult. Pellets are ideal for feeding in PVA sticks, a tactic that catches a lot of barbel. Make up a mixture of equal amounts of 3mm and 6mm’ers, along with a few 11mm pellets, and thread a big stick onto the hooklength every cast.
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Maggots
Maggots excel when the rivers are low and clear, especially in the colder months of the year. Barbel love maggots, but the only problem can be trying to avoid small fish. Cramming a bunch of maggots onto a size 10 hook can give you a more selective bait, or try using hair-rigged plastic maggots over a bed of dead maggots and hemp. Casters can be equally as effective, especially when the fish see a lot of maggots.
READ THIS ARTICLE IF YOU WANT TO CATCH MORE BARBEL ON THE FLOAT.
Boilies
Just as in carp fishing, boilies have become hugely popular for barbel. Only big fish can eat boilies, making them selective for barbel, chub and big bream in rivers. Most boilies aimed at barbel are fish or crustacean based, but don’t ignore sweet baits, especially when the water temperature is low.
Give boilies a wrap of matching paste for added pulling-power. Use 12mm boilies for more bites, but switch up to 18mm baits to help avoid bream.
Worms
Victorian anglers knew the effectiveness of worms as a barbel bait, often baiting up with huge quantities, yet today they are often neglected. A superb bait when rivers are carrying a little extra water after rain. Try fishing with two lobworms, or three or four dendrabenas on the hook as a change bait from pellets or boilies. They can be particularly effective when bounced through a swim when trying to stalk barbel.
Paste
These super-attractive baits are easily made from boilie base mix, and create a strong trail of attraction that encourages barbel to move upstream as they search out the scent, alternatively there are some superb options ready-made to buy.
An easy way to fish paste is to mould a small amount around a mini-boilie. The hard boilie will remain even if the paste is whittled away by small fish, giving me the confidence that I always have a bait in play. You can also just use a lump directly on the hook, especially effective in coloured water.
ADDING THE BEST LIQUIDS AND ADDITIVES TO YOUR PASTE WILL BOOST ITS ATTRACTION.
Hemp
It always pays to have some hemp with you when in search of barbel. These small seeds can really switch barbel on, and combine well with all of my other bait choices. For close-in fishing catapult a pouch of hemp out every few minutes, or use a bait-dropper.
