We’ve received this fabulous Summer Barbel tale from top specimen angler and author Terry “Theo” Theobald from South Wales:-
“Surprise, surprise, as I write this it is raining outside and not two hours previous the river Severn near Tewkesbury was a vast expanse of water lying heavy on the fields with a fast flowing brown snake winding its way through half submerged bushes and trees on a raging course for the sea. For weeks almost all the rivers in the country have been overflowing with flood and colour and the barbel have been feeding with gusto, much to the delight of those who yearn to glimpse their golden flanks and whiskered mouths. Like others, the eagerness to fish these conditions has been paramount in my mind and in recent weeks a few trips to the swollen river Severn and Warwickshire Avon have seen my rod tip wham over with a satisfying curve on more than one occasion, culminating in the capture of some pristine beauties.
For four afternoons in the Summer my tackle and I made our way to several different swims on the Avon in search of a likely spot a barbel could be holed up in to escape the ever present rush of rubbish, weed and branches coming down stream. By the third trip, my net had been graced by a double figure tally of mischievous chub, with the best two weighing in at a pleasing 4lb 14oz and 5lb 7oz. Between the violent chub tugs, the rod whooped over on numerous occasions and a battle was had with some wonderful hard fighting barbel up to 7lb 10oz, a fish that regrettably showed signs of a near death experience with an otter, in the shape of a large bite mark on its flank and the stumpy remains of a once flawless tale. Still, it had survived.
My ultimate goal, like many barbel anglers was to bank a double and with my last day looming I returned to a spot below a weir that had produced on the first trip. Over the previous few days the rain had battered the area and even though the river had dropped by a foot it was now pushing hard again with a strong tinge of colour in it, and within minutes of arriving the level could plainly be seen rising once more. As I pulled the wet weather gear on in the car park I felt uncomfortable and a little reluctant as my boots and salopettes were still damp from the previous day. The weather was warm, although the clouds were heavy with a hint of drizzle in the air, a familiar story!
On this occasion my normal Barbel rods were exchanged for something beefier in the shape of 12ft 2lb test Drennan Distance Tench & Bream rods that would allow me to swing out 4oz leads with a significant PVA stocking of free offerings attached. They make fantastic flood water barbel rods!
My end tackle was a simple hair rig made up from 15lb ESP Two Tone in Camo, tied to size 10 ESP Stiff Rigger hook. When fishing in flood water conditions I always favour a bait and on this occasion as well as a bucket of mixed Marine Halibut pellet, the Dynamite baits Hi-Attract Monster Crab and the excellent Source boilies completed my armoury.
The previous day a text book crease had been fished with the baits strategically placed just inside the faster water, where thankfully and fairly predictably, the fish were found. In flood conditions it is always a good bet to find and fish slacker water as the barbel like to hide and escape the hazardous and relentless debris whenever they can. It is an absolute nightmare when branches, leaves and other assorted junk crashes into your line, so you can imagine what it’s like to be living in it!
This time, the leads, complete with an ample PVA mesh bag full of crushed boilie and pellet hit bottom under the rod tips in a deeper gulley with a fast flow of water pounding over the top. The hope was that the barbel would be sat there! For no more than ten minutes the left hand rod bounced about as weed and dislodged cabbage leaves hit the line, then, the tip was yanked forward before bouncing back. Convinced it was a fish I eagerly waited for another movement and didn’t have to wait more than a few seconds before the rod jerked into an arc and line left the baitrunner in a whirr!
On it immediately I pulled into the culprit and was very surprised when the initial run “straight-rodded” me into the strong flow. I convinced myself it was a carp because it felt heavy on the end and was pulling me all over the swim. On three or four occasions it came up in the water, only to pull hard towards the bottom with me giving line rather frantically. The 12lb breaking strain Suffix Synergy held good throughout the battle though and, within a few minutes the fish was seen for the first time and my heart missed a beat when the golden flanks of a rather large barbel turned, just beneath the surface.
Gingerly the fish was coaxed to the net and to my relief and sheer delight the barbel went in without any fuss. Quickly zeroing the scales before extracting the hook from its bottom lip I smarted at its size and knew it was the double I hoped to catch. When the needle settled on 12lb 9oz, satisfaction was mine! A few quick pictures were taken before the beautiful, fin-perfect specimen was released. To top the session off nicely an hour later a bite not dissimilar to that of a chub was met with a good strike and to my surprise it was a barbel of a little over 1lb, a gorgeous fish that hopefully one day will grow into a pristine fish like the bigger one.
I say when the weather is getting you down get out there in a flood, with a strong flavoured bait and a big old barbel could just put a smile on your face”
– Theo Theobald, August 2012
For full details on the Drennan Specialist rod range (as used by Theo) click here:-
Drennan Specialist Rod Range