Which bait is best for barbel

AllFishing

New member
Hi all

I do not actually do a lot of barbel fishing, but since my local dam got infested with them, I would like to start fishing for them more.

I am not sure which bait to use. I may not use carp heads as the rules are strictly catch and release of all fish.

I also do not know a lot of the barbel rigs.

Any advice will be appreciated.

 

Thanks.
 

HennieB

Sealiner
There are a lot of baits available. Garden snails, black crickets, grasshoppers, birds, chicken livers etc.

Baber rigs are pretty straight forward, there are a lot of threads on the site about it.
 

Fishpaste

Sealiner
Hi AF,
I do not think there is a "best" bait out there as it will definitely differ from venue to venue. That being said, to start off with go with baits like chicken hearts and ox liver cut into strips. Chicken livers is also a very good bait but I can be tricky to get it to stay on the hook. If you want to target the bigger fish get hold of a fish head from another venue and use that as bait.
 

Fishpaste

Sealiner
I don't fish with snails but hooks should be sharp and relatively strong depending on the size of fish you intend to catch. I would also suggest to go with circle hooks as the corner of the mouth is better than the bony part of the rest of the mouth. Look at the size/number of the snails on the hook and determine your hook size. Cats have big mouths but no use the hook dominating the bait. It should be balanced - Hook compliment the bait and visa versa.
 

Brakkie

New member
I use day old chicks and or platties. When targeting very big cats i use big carp heads or the whole fish with 2 x 10/0 hooks.
 

nobbles

New member
All good suggestions. One bait i do use when i start at a new water is day olds. Its a confidence bait for me. You may start by only picking up small fish, but if you start monitoring where he fish are picking it up you will learn how the barbel in that stretch of water are behaving and what they are looking for in cover etc. I would start there with a 3 rod spread, with planned bait placement. Once you know how they are moving and holding go with some bigger baits.
 

Fred van Zyl

New member
Hallo almal

Het iemand al n gewone red vienna gevat en in kwarte gesny, gerol in strawberry droee jellie poeier gemeng met garlick poeier??
 

Fishpaste

Sealiner
Fred van Zyl wrote:
Hallo almal

Het iemand al n gewone red vienna gevat en in kwarte gesny, gerol in strawberry droee jellie poeier gemeng met garlick poeier??
Nope...maar iets se my jy het? whahahha!
Enigiets sal werk vir n kat solank daar aas aan n hoek is. Viennas is nie juis n stewige hoekaas nie en kan maklik van die hoek val of selfs skeur in die gooi. Maar ja, dit sal n kat vang!
 

hunter59

New member
For Smaller Cats Earthworms or Sardine Cutlets.

Find a Dam infested with small Bass and catch cut off the heads and bodies into bags. Heads in 1 ziploc bag with Supercast Barber or Conoflex Barber and soak in.

Another great Bait is to watch an easy Plain Boilie Recipe on Youtube. i Use White bread flour, 2 Eggs, few crushed weetbix and some strawberry or cherry jelly powder. Make the dough and make some bigger boilies 15mm. I soak those in a Ziplock Bag with Barber dip as well.

Use a hair rig on one rod with your boilies and another rod with earthworms or your sardine or bass bits. Shoot your boilies around your fishing area with your boilies soaked in Barber dip. with a kettie. When the cats are feeding smash on.

If you can get platannas even better. Give me a shout on 0662435363 if u need more advice
 
Top