A Brief Guide To Tackling Up Effectively & With The Fish's Welfare In Mind! (Please Click the images for more information)
Knots - Fisherman pride themselves on their ability to tie good knots. They should be simple to tie, simple to untie, not damage the line and achieve the desired result. Opposite are a selection of knots required to tie pretty much any rig or indeed perform any function required when on the banks. The '5 turn grinner' and the 'palomar' are knots which are well trusted for attaching hooks and swivels alike. They are extremely strong and don't weaken the line too much. The blood knot can be used to attach your mainline to your backing line, the tucked half blood is little used for hook tieing since the arrival of the knotless knot. Learn to tie all the knots shown and you will have no problems. Practice, practice and more practice will pay off when its 02:00hrs and -3oc!! |  |
Hooklinks (Please click the images for more information)
The most important part of any rig is your hooklink. When fishing with mono/fluro, the hooklink will normally be slightly lighter than the main line. The idea being that the hooklink will break before the main-line, thus leaving you with your main tackle and the fish with just the hook and a short trace.
When using mono/fluro with a braided hook-link, alot of people tend to use a slighlty heavier braid than the main-line. I find 10lb braid will break extremely easily, so normally fish 12lb Suffix line to a 12-15lb braided hooklink (sinking).
Below, are some examples of hooklink materials that I use, but there are many more available. Make sure you get a sinking braid so it hugs the riverbed. My hooklinks will vary from about 4" to 56" depending on conditions. The hook is attached using a knotless knot to a size 6-14 Barbel Specialist hook, to leave a hair below.
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Before you learn a single thing about angling, you must understand that a good knot is not only for your benefit but for the benefit of the fish itself!! When knots give way under pressure they are likely to leave a fish trailing around a piece of line or worse the tackle attached to it! As the Barbel Society does, I will champion the welfare of fish over everything but our own safety on the river bank.
By far the most important and useful hook tieing knot is the 'knotless knot'. So called because it isn't actually tied but simply wrapped around itself. This forms an extremely strong and effective hook attachment, also enabling hair rigging.Below, are 2 different options y ou have for hair rigging your baits. On the left is a standard hair rig, tied with a knotless knot (see above). This can be used to hair rig a multitude of baits, from lumps of meat to pellets and boilies.
On the right is a pellet band connected to the hair. This is ideal when you have decided to stick to pellets. This does limit you to the one bait, but is a very quick and extremely effective at holding the bait where you want it!! |  |
Anchoring your gear down
I simply carry all the bits to make the rigs I describe on this site!! If your walking a fair way to your peg, the less you carry the less you sweat getting there!! Most importantly, carry only a few weights for different eventualities and varying swims!
Below is a selection of the various things you can use to keep your bait where you want it, on the bottom. On the left is an Andrew Witham 5oz flood feeder, the green and brown ones are also made for me by Andres. Next are everyones favourite, the Kamasan black cap. I usually buy the 50g ones and add 'dead cows' depending on conditions. Then there are simple flat Drennan block end feeders, great for maggots or particles if you widen the holes with scissors. A really small maggot feeder, ideal for low water conditions and feeding a few maggots. There is also an inline feeder which is just another way of mounting them
Along the bottom of the photo is some weights that I have made for me by Andrew Witham which provide all the grip I need with the added ability to mould pellet paste around them to get feed in.
When it comes to holding your gear in place, you need to be confident of keeping your bait pretty much static. You should use a snap-link to attach your feeder or weight and start light, working your way up till you hold bottom. In essense what I am saying is that you want to use as little weight as you can get away with. Sometimes infact, it can be to your advantage for your feeder or weight to move downstream slightly, occasionally inducing a take.
 | If you have been to the tackle shop recently, you will know that you are talking about £3 for a good quality cage feeder. I have been lucky enough to come into contact with a man that can make feeders (see below) of between 60g and 200g for the meager price of £1.50 and a bit more for larger ones a pop!!! The postage is really cheap too! If you are interested in ordering some contact details are on the links page. Large amounts available and you can specify brown/green powder coating and different weights!! |
Rig choice can be largely down to choice. There are many variations on two main themes - fixed and running ledgers. As you fish, do not be afraid to modify a rig if you have a good idea of how it may be improved. This is how fishing evolves!!
If fish are very shy biting, you should be looking at a shorter hook-link. This will give the fish less time and slack line to taste and play with the bait before being hooked. I nearly always use a running ledger, mainly because i beleive if the fish can feel less resistance it will be more inclined to take the bait fully. However. Alot of people swear by fixed/bolt rigs. If you are going to use one, PLEASE use a release method for your lead or feeder. In the event of a break off, nobody wants to think of a fish towing around a large lead or feeder.
Below are a few examples of how to setup three basic rigs. Like I said previously, there are mulitple variations on each theme but at least it will give you the idea!
Running Ledger
Link Ledgering
This rig is generally favoured by the Barbel purists! A great fun and extremely exciting way to fish. If you wear polarizing sunglasses you can see the fish and 'Link ledger' the bait quietly down to them. Extremely simple too! Just add small amounts of putty or shot to the light link loop and let the bait bounce down the riverbed naturally.
Bolt Rig
Yet another aspect of Barbel fishing which has been influenced by Carp fishing!! This is preffered by some, due to the fish hooking itself against the weight of the feeder.
A) The hook as covered on the first rig will be between size 6-14. The pattern is personal choice.
B) 6-10lb hooklink. This will vary in length from just a couple of inch's to three feet.C) Ledger/feeder clip and rubber sleeve. (This supposedly, makes the rig safer for fish in the event of a break off)
D) Feeder is down to personal choice. I use a 40/50grm Kamasan black cap or an Andrew Witham cage feeder. (You can add additional weight with 'Dead cows)
E) 8-12lb mono/flurocarbon or a heavier Braided line if you prefer.
