Back on the Severn - March 8th

Decided to return to Arley right bank and see if I could winkle out some Barbel, specifically on the waggler. Arrived by 11.00am to find no one on the stretch so I managed to get onto the peg that I had seen a chap using the waggler last week.

Since my last visit I had started a thread on BFW to get info on how to improve my rigs so I was keen to try out some new ideas. ( maggot feeder, hooklinks & hooks)

I set up two ledger rigs and a float rig to start with:
1.5 TC, 10lb main, 11lb Powerline hooklink using a no slip loop knot & size 14 wide gape hook.
1.75 TC, 10lb main, 10lb Sinkbraid hooklink using a fig 8 loop & size 12 barbel super specialist hook.
Power Float, 8lb Supplex main, 3.5g loaded peacock waggler, 7.9lb Silstar hooklink attached with double uni-knot & size 14 wide gape hook.

View downstream, waiting for first bite!

First couple of hours tried boilie on one rod & maggot on the other, only one bite on the maggot, main line broke on the strike. Probably need to increase the main to 12lb if I am using an 11lb hooklink.

First fish was on the maggot feeder, about 8lb, then went quiet again.

First fish of the day.

Changed to waggler & maggot and kept the maggot feeder out.
Managed 7 barbel & 3 chub on the waggler, the first one was about 4lb ish:

First Barbel caught on a waggler!!

What a great feeling my first barbel on the float from the Severn. The largerst on the waggler went to 9-04. Waggler technique was to cast upstream, fire out maggots, pull waggler onto the same line and let it run through at river speed, seemed to work once I had found depth.

Switched the maggot feeder to caster hook bait and hemp & caster in the feeder, caught two barbel one was a double hook up with the float, bit of a challenge but managed to land both fish, the other was after I had packed up the float rod.

Packed up the waggler rod about 5.30 and recast the feeder rig with a 10mm halibut hook pellet, landed 3 barbel with the last , at 6.45, being the largest at 9-12. Tried to take a self take photo but the camera had run out of battery power, so I returned the fish and packed up.


All in all a great session 13 barbel & 3 Chub, my first barbel on a waggler rig, two 9's & two 8's, and much improved rigs. Met a chap on the bank who said that this stretch was very busy during the summer months with many fishermen staying in the lodges, worth giving a wide berth in the summer.

Hopefully one more river trip before the end of the season!!!