Chub and barbel fishing on small rivers
I love my chub and barbel fishing on small rivers, it suits my style of fishing. It’s my first session this season and I’m really excited. My approach is to keep mobile and rove along the bank, covering as many swims as possible, until I find the fish.
Keeping things simple is the best way to catch. So I’ll be either free lining bait through the swim or using Korum loaded blobs as a small float to guide the bait towards the fish.
Putting on a small lump of meat before casting in for chub and barbel on small rivers
Location is vital, I know that if I can find the fish I’ve got a better chance of catching them. I’ll put a bit of bait in each swim and move on to the next, popping back to the pre-baited swims on my way back to see if the fish have their heads down and are feeding confidently.
I’m travelling light with just the basics, a 10ft Korum Opportunist rod, 4000 size reel, landing net and a small rucksack with my terminal tackle and bait. I’ll visit several swims during the day and all that walking helps to keep me fit.
The 10ft Korum Opportunist rods are ideal for small river fishing
Using bankside vegetation for cover, I’m looking for signs of fish, spending a few minutes in each swim before moving on.
Using my polaroids to help me look for signs of fish in each swim
Alternating between meat and pellet on the hook until I find what the fish prefer. If the fish are spooking off the meat, which can often happen, I’ll use a pellet on the hook.
I attach the pellet with a 4mm Mega Band to hold the bait in place, feeding pellets and small chunks of meat.
These Korum Mega Bands are really tough and durable for banding pellets
I like to make sure the hookbait moves through the swim in the same way as the free samples. Chub and barbel fishing on small rivers can be challenging at times, so I want the odds stacked in my favour.
This hookbait is ready to go and be cast into the swim
Chub are the first to succumb to this approach and I’m catching quite a few. It’s great to be back catching on the river again.
These chub certainly like the pellets I’m feeding
Keep on moving
After an hour or so I’m catching quite a few chub, which is great fun, but I’m hoping to catch a big barbel. So I’m moving along the bank trying new swims until I can find them.
I’m travelling light and keep moving until I find the barbel
When hooking a chub or barbel on a small river it’s often a ‘hit and hold’ approach and you can’t give the fish an inch. I need to keep the fish away from the snags, so I need to use a powerful rod and strong line. I use the Korum 10ft Opportunist 2.25lb rod, Korum Axis 4000 size reel and 10lb Glide line.
It can be like jungle warfare at times in these tight swims
After moving along the bank and searching for fish, I saw the flash of a barbel’s tail fin. I baited the swim for a while with a few pellets and waited about ten minutes. I could see some barbel feeding confidently. I moved very quietly into position and cast my meat hookbait into the river.
My hookbait is in position – just waiting for a bite
Within seconds, a fish picked up the bait, I raised the rod slightly and a fish was on. After a short and frantic battle the fish was in the net. What a result, my first barbel of the season.
After catching that little river rocket I wanted to get a bigger one. I know this river has some much bigger barbel, so I continued with my roving and stalking approach along the river bank.
I’m using smaller hooks this year for better presentation
My first barbel of the season was caught on a size 12 hook and a small lump of luncheon meat. I’ve found that smaller hooks allow the meat to behave more like the free offerings. If necessary, I’ll pinch a split shot on the line to get the meat down to the bottom a bit quicker.
The best floats for this approach are Korum Loaded Blobs which are small, self-cocking floats that allow me to trot meat or pellets through the swim. These are great for shallow water.
I’m using an old one with some large float bands which makes it much easier to put on or take off, depending on how I want to present my hook bait. So it’s easy to switch from freelining to trotting in just a few seconds.
These Korum blobs are ideal for trotting meat or pellets
Catching loads of chub
The chub are feeding confidently and I’m catching a few on the drop within seconds of casting in. It’s great to be fishing back where I belong on the river.
I’m working my way through the chub to try and catch a bigger barbel
The session is going pretty well and I think I’ve got my tactics right. I’m alternating between meat and pellet, and between freelining and float fishing with the blob, as each swim is different.
To get the bait down quickly I’ll sometimes put a split shot on the line
I’ve moved into another swim and I’ve got a good feeling about this one. As I let the meat flow through the swim a fish takes it and I know that it’s a barbel and not a chub.
It’s holding its position in the flow and pulling hard, the clutch on my reel is screeching and the barbel is fighting hard. It’s a bit chaotic in a tight swim, at one point my rod tip is caught in a tree, but I bring the fish clear of the snags and into the net.
The best barbel from the session – it’s so good to be back on the river
Chub and barbel fishing on small rivers is great fun. If you’ve got a small river near you – why not give it a go, you could be pleasantly surprised at what you catch. Be lucky.