Barbel on the river: heavy feeder and rigs for the current

What you need

• Rod: a 3.6-3.9 m heavy feeder rod for 80-150 g feeders and more, with stiff tips; or a light carp rod.
• Reel: size 4000-5000, with a strong, smooth drag.
• Line: 0.25-0.30 mm monofilament, resistant to abrasion on stones.
• Rig: a 60-200 g feeder, depending on the current, on a running rig; a 30-60 cm hooklength of 0.18-0.22 mm and a strong size 8-14 hook.
• Accessories: a tall rest to keep the rod tip high, a landing net with a long handle, and boots or waders for stony banks.

Baits

• Maggots and worms, in a bunch on the hook: the classic barbel baits.
• Cubes of hard cheese and 8-12 mm pellets, on the hook or on a hair.
• Sticky groundbait that stays in the feeder until it reaches the bottom, with cooked hemp and maggots.

When to fish

• From late spring until autumn; the best months are summer and early autumn, when the water is warm.
• Evening, night and morning; during the day, when the water is slightly coloured after a little rain.
• When the river is high and coloured after heavy rain, look for the slacker water near the bank.

Where are you fishing

• Hill and lowland rivers with gravel and sand beds, and the Danube, along its stony banks.
• The head and tail of pools, the deeper water behind weirs and boulders, and the current along undercut banks.
• Note: in winter (1 January - 15 March and 1 November - 31 December), fishing is banned within 250 m upstream and downstream of bridges with piers in the riverbed, and within 250 m upstream of reservoir dams.

Step by step

1. 1

   Choose your swim. Look for a stretch with moderate flow and a gravel bed, downstream of a weir or a big boulder, where the water deepens.

2. 2

   Choose the feeder. The feeder has to hold bottom: if it rolls downstream, use a heavier one; if it only just holds, it's right.

3. 3

   Cast upstream. Cast slightly upstream and let the line tighten: the current settles the feeder on the bottom and the groundbait trickles downstream, towards the fish.

4. 4

   Raise the rod tip. Set the rod with the tip high so as little line as possible is in the water, and tighten up until the tip has a steady bend.

5. 5

   Feed steadily. Recast every 5-10 minutes to the same spot: a constant trail of groundbait and hemp brings the barbel up from downstream.

6. 6

   Strike at the sudden bite. A barbel wrenches the tip down and bolts; sometimes the tip springs back suddenly when the fish dislodges the feeder. Lift the rod firmly.

7. 7

   Play it in the current. Barbel use the current and head for the stones: keep the rod high, let the drag work and bring the fish to the bank without forcing it.

8. 8

   Release it properly. After a long fight in the current, hold the barbel in slack water, head upstream, until it swims off on its own.

Common mistakes

• A feeder that's too light, which rolls and carries the bait somewhere else.
• Line that's too thin for the stones and for a powerful fish.
• Groundbait that's too loose and empties from the feeder before it reaches the bottom.
• Holding the rod low: the current pushes on the whole line and moves the rig.
• Releasing the barbel straight into strong current before it has recovered.

Frequently asked questions

Step-by-step guides

• Rig guide: Feeder with anti-tangle sleeve / loop (paternoster)
• Groundbait and recipes: All-round feeder groundbait (bream, Prussian carp)
• Groundbait and recipes: Particles: prepared maize and hemp
• Releasing fish properly: The golden rules

Fishing for barbel by county

Other fishing techniques

• Feeder fishing
• Carp on the method feeder
• Carp on boilies
• Spinning for pike
• Zander on the jig
• Perch on the micro-jig
• Trout on spinners
• Prussian carp on the float
• Wels catfish with the clonk
• Spinning for chub
• Asp on crankbaits
• Bream on the feeder
• Tench on the float
• Ice fishing
• Fishing from a boat
• Homemade groundbait
• Pike on fish baits
• Perch on the drop shot
• Fly fishing
• Catfish from the bank