Double Figure Barbel from River Colne

Dave Ouseley sent me the following e-mail which makes interesting reading, which I thought it should be posted on the site with Dave’s permission, also see picture?

Hello Martin,After receiving my copy of the January issue of Coarse Angling Today, I quickly flicked through it for any interesting articles and came across the one by Will Carter on using bread for barbel & chub. .Though I always fish for chub using bread in winter, especially if the river is low and clear, normally with a cage feeder & liquidised bread. This time I just pinched a couple of 2ssg shot about 6 inches from the no 4 hook then cast to the edge of a nice looking crease, letting the current swing the bait in towards the near bank. After about 15 minutes the tip gave a pull round, which I knew was not a chub. The result was the beautiful barbel weighing 11lb 2oz, on 6lb main line; 4lb hook length, caught Saturday at 11.30am. I carried on moving swims and caught 3 chub best 3lb 10oz using the same tactics with crust or flake. Many thanks for the informative articles displayed on the web site www.fishing.co.uk they make such a good read, and the BBC Radio Lancashire program is a joy to listen too.