As promised last month I am going to continue with my float fishing for barbel saga by talking about hooks and floats. When using small baits such as maggots, casters, corn or tares then small strong hooks are needed, no place for fine wire match hooks here and size sixteen is the smallest you will need.
When using bunches of maggots or casters (my favourite baits), I will put three or four on a size twelve or fourteen. My favourite hook is a Drennan Super Spade and I have never been let down by one of these, but many of the hooks designed for commercial carp fisheries will do.
When using larger baits your choice is more limited as many hooks over size ten are designed to cater for the specimen carp angler and are very heavy in the wire. Drennan Carbon Specimen hooks are ideal when you can find them, but I am sure there are others. If I need a size four hook for a large piece of bread flake or a piece of luncheon meat then I don’t want something that is so heavy it could support a side of beef and will necessitate the removal of two or three split shot from the bulk shot.
That brings me nicely on to floats - big ones. Some of the guys who see my barbel trotting floats for the first time are amazed at how much shot they take, particularly if they are not used to fast water. I have found that barbel like to feed on the bottom and the current down there is often much slower than it is at the surface. A bait that is being towed through the swim by a float in the surface current is not behaving naturally and the float is liable to cast a shadow over the fish before the bait gets to it. The water on some barbel rivers can be clear and the fish are likely to be wary, an overhead shadow will not improve matters. The float fisherman needs to slow the float right down to prevent this happening and to present his bait at the same speed as his loose feed is being carried. This needs more weight down near the hook than most people would believe, if the bait is not to rise above the feeding fish. The minimum size float I will use carries 3 AAA and I will go up to five or six swan shot or more if conditions dictate. Barbel really do not mind towing a big float under, they will take the rod out of your hand if you are not careful, bite indication is not the difficult thing, bait presentation is!
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