Depending on the water levels and temperatures, and the type of venue being targeted, there are a number of set-ups you can use to best match the conditions to catch yourself a barbel. Once you can read a river properly, choosing a rig for barbel is fairly straightforward as the conditions will dictate what is best.
If the river is low and clear, float fishing is a great option, as is rolling bait through the swim. Both methods offer stealth and present the bait naturally to a barbel, so even if they aren't particularly interested in feeding, it might still provoke an opportunistic take.
If conditions are wild and the river is flooded, a static approach using smelly baits packed into a feeder is usually the way to go. Whatever the scenario, the rigs in this guide will help you catch barbel from any river you choose to fish.
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Rolling rig
Rolling a bait is a tactic you'll often hear barbel anglers discussing and that is because it has caught and continues to catch thousands of barbel. When used correctly, it is a method that is very hard to beat as not only does it present your bait in the most natural way possible, it also allows you to cover loads of water in search of your quarry.
The rig is very versatile too, often using a shot, blob of putty or plasticine, it can be used in any conditions, by tailoring the amount of weight on the line. The trick I to add just enough weight so they bait rolls down just less than the speed of the current.Luncheon Meat is by far the best bait, with bites ranging from a gentle pluck to the rod being ripped from your arms.
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Avon Float rig
There are days when barbel will show a distinct preference for a moving bait over a static one – often on stretches where the majority of visiting anglers use legering tactics.
Trotting with a heavy Avon or stick float can be devastating in such situations. Look for a swim where the main flow and the deepest water is close to the bank, because this makes trotting the float straight down the swim much easier and allows the rig to be eased downstream at anything up to a quarter of the pace of the surface flow. This is important, because the current near the riverbed, where the barbel are to be found, is always slower than at the surface.
Using a bait dropper is a great way of getting lighter baits like maggots and casters down to the bottom.
Tackle required:
4g-8g stick, Avon or Loafer float Bulk AAA/BB shot, or an olivette, 8lb-10lb mainline, 6lb-8lb hooklink, Size 8-14 hook.
BARBEL CAN BE CAUGHT ON A VARIETY OF BAITS, CHECK OUT SOME OF THE VERY BEST HERE.
Big waggler rig
For slow-flowing rivers, targeting far-bank runs, or on days when a downstream wind ruins presentation with a ‘top-and-bottom’ float, waggler tactics come to the fore. It also allows you to cast easier and use larger baits like big lumps of meat, great if you just want to trot through a swim a few times without feeding too much. As it’s attached bottom-end only, a waggler makes it easier to ‘mend’ the line to keep it behind the float, and you’re in direct contact for when a strike is needed. It’s a simple, strong set-up with few weak spots.
Tackle required:
2SSG to 5SSG Truncheon/pellet waggler, Locking shot + smaller shot for down the line 6lb mono, straight through to the hook Size 10-16 hook.
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Stringer rig
On snaggy or powerful rivers where feeders can get caught up or struggle to hold bottom, switching to a boilie or meat hookbait on snag-safe run ring setup is a wise choice. The lead will hold bottom better than a feeder, plus, if the rig gets snagged, the lead will release easily. It works well on venues where nuisance fish make fishing smaller pellets hard work. For loosefeed, try a PVA stringer holding several hookbait samples attached to the hook.
Tackle required: 2oz-6oz flat pear/gripper lead, Snag-safe lead clip (will release the lead under pressure) 18ins-36ins of mono, fluorocarbon or coated braid for a hooklink, Size 8-12 hook, PVA tape for stringers.
NEW TO BARBEL FISHING? CHECK OUT THIS USEFUL BEGINNERS GUIDE TO GET YOURSELF STARTED.
Pellet feeder rig
On venues holding a good head of small to average-sized barbel, a feeder packed with groundbait and a mix of small pellets is a good approach, and will keep the swim topped up with a stream of goodies.
Match the size of the feeder to the flow so that it just holds bottom comfortably, and be sure to use a hooklink of at least 2ft. Don’t be afraid to increase this to 4ft or so if the fish start to back off the feeder after one or two have been caught. You can also experiment with hookbaits to keep the bites coming.
Tackle required: 60g-90g flat style feeder, 8lb-12lb mainline, 6lb-8lb hooklink, Snag-safe run ring, Size 10-14 hook
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Barbel pole rig
The key to catching barbel from stillwater fisheries begins with quality time spent plumbing up your swim. These fish tend to inhabit the flat areas around the bottom of the near shelf, but can also be found in deeper margins and areas where you can identify a slight depth change on the bottom of the lake – a spot often scoured out by a shoal of barbel. Find these hotspots and you’ll catch them.
Tackle required: 4x12 to 4x14 diamond shaped margin float,0.17mm mainline, 0.15mm hooklength, Size 12 or 14 hook, 12-14 rated elastic.
BARBEL ARE STRONG FISH, SO YOU NEED THE BEST MARGIN POLES TO HELP TAME THEM.
