Help on the Rother

[johnnie1hair 10]

Can anyone out there help? It doesn't specifically apply to the Rother, it could be anywhere. Right I fish the Rother at Woodhouse/Catcliffe fairly regularly, I fish with luncheon meat on the quiver tip. Now here's the problem, if I put a 3/4" cube on I will get bites. The tip will shoot round you strike no fish but the bait will still be on the hook. If you put a small piece of meat on you get a bite (as I did the other day) catch a chub of about 5lb but then nothing, not a bite for the rest of the day. I have tried other baits maggots, bread, sweetcorn etc but nothing seems to work as well as meat. So are there any ideas out there of how to get chub or barbel on the hook?

[kojak_79 10]

Use a short hair rig might be worth a try

[johnnie1hair 10]

I should have put this in original message, I use meat on a banded hair rig, I usually put the ledger stop about 9in to a foot away from the hook. But a short hook length is worth a try, I also thought about a bolt rig, which is a set up I have never used so I am unsure of its success.

[kojak_79 10]

i've seen bolt rigs used before for barbell and chub might be worth a go. Also could try shortening the ledger rig i only use about 3 inches.

[johnnie1hair 10]

Thanks for the input Kojak, I hope to give it a whirl on Monday, weather permitting. I'm going to take a mix of meat size and try on a short hook length and/or a bolt rig. I am perservering because the other week I was fishing on a 8lb bottom and got broke, so I know there's big fish in there, it's hard work when it's cold. I will let you know if I have any success.

[kojak_79 10]

If your going down catcliffe stretch the pegs are muddy as hell nearly broke me neck a few times.

[johnnie1hair 10]

Yes went today very muddy, caught 2 chub both about 5lb and got broke again (8lb bottom). Fished with big bomb and 4in hook length and had several bites, that large barbel still still eludes me

[S13World 10]

Johnnie1hair,

 

I wouldn't be changing to much if I was you, the Rother is hard work and you are catching.

Chop and change between the usual Barbel baits on standard rigs. Location is the key on the Rother. Try different pegs and stretches. Fish stocks are low in my opinion and catches exaggerated, but the odd decent Barbel are there.

[johnnie1hair 10]

Once again thanks for the help S13, I didn't expect any so any help is appreciated. I fish the section between the weir at Catcliffe and the bridge at Woodhouse Mill. I fished it on the odd occasion in Summer and caught odd small Roach there was loads of fry in the water and I suppose that is why the river is so popular with Goosander, Cormorant, and Little Grebe the problem for small fish being hiding places, and there are good sized Pike. I have heard reports of large fish being seen from the bridge in Woodhouse during the Summer, my personal view is not enough people fish it so there's not enough bait going in. Big fish are less likely to be predated so more fry so it's a win win all round. So go and feed them fishes and they are wild not in some overstocked pond, don't get me started!

[Croftonblade 10]

If it helps, my rig for barbel on the Calder is a hair rig, inch and a half long on variety of eyed hook sizes, usually a 12 or 14 but I do go bigger. Hooklength is Preston Power 11lb tied to a swivel. Length of hooklength- between 2 feet and 4 feet. Above swivel on main line is a rubber bead then a snap swivel with either bomb or cage feeder. Above the snap swivel is a ledger stop which turns the rig into a semi fixed bolt rig which the fish can pull free from the feeder/ bomb if you snap on the main line for any reason. I use 12lb maxima main line. I wouldn't go down as far as 8lb unless its totally snag free (Calder is full of snags). Also I use a baitrunner reel.

Barbel tend to hook themselves with a long run whilst chub just rattle the tip round. I think chub are harder to hit on a hair rig- they are wily buggers!

When are you getting broke mate? On the strike or whilst playing? If its on the strike, could it be chub bite offs?

May be worth trying 1ml halibut pellets for the barbel with 4 or 6ml pellets in the feeder.

Great that you're getting fish on the Rother- I'm from Chesterfield originally and the Rother up there used to be really manky- not a fish in site and used to smell of creosote from the Wingerworth coking plant.

My main aim 2015 is to catch a barbel from the Don above Sheffield.

[johnnie1hair 10]

I have hooked this large fish twice, I hit the bite and felt the fish then it sets off like a train and bang the hook length is snapped. As to halibut pellets, I don't think these fish will touch em. I went the other day and tried a mix of ground bait sweet corn and luncheon meat in a cage feeder, nothing. I normally loose feed sweet corn and meat and at least get a few bites.

I went just before Xmas and you know when you fish a carp pond and a large carp swims hell for leather across the pond and then puts the brakes on creating a bow wave well I had the same a 6in bow wave in 8ft of water on a fast flowing river. So there are some big fish in it.

The place I fish is between Woodhouse and Catcliffe weir and is NOT fished (hardly) someone cut a peg in the bank 20m from a fallen tree which has 8ft of water under it the other side of the river is a railway embankment (not fished either). It would be idyllic if I caught a few more fish, as I have said before I am sure there are plenty of fish they just don't get enough bait

[Croftonblade 10]

Who owns the stretch Johnnie?

I'd scale up to 11/12lb if I were you. Bit cold for barbel but you never know. I use pellets in the feeder and then plug with halibut groundbait- think that attracts the fish into the swim. Thing is with halibuts is that once the fish get a taste for them they feed more and more on them- I guess if no one is feeding them in, they might not recognise them. Have you tried boilies, maybe wrapped with a bit of halibut flavoured paste?