I am lucky enough to be part of a family who own a fishery. Ashmoor Lakes in Old Basing.
It is a small, mixed coarse fishery packed with many species of fish.
Initially they were dug for me, and I have been fishing there all of my angling life, over 30 years. It's where I learned to fish, and as such I have extensive knowledge of the venue and how best to catch the fish.
So I figured it was about time I shared some of this information I've acquired through the years and how you can best target and catch certain species by design.
ASHMOOR BARBEL
Though Ashmoor Lakes is a mixed coarse fishery packed with many wonderful species, the Carp have always been the most sought after. That is, until the addition of the Barbel to the lakes.
When Ashmoor Lakes was first dug and opened up to the public the Barbel were not present. Prior to opening, the lakes were stocked with mainly Roach, Rudd, Perch and Tench, and on opening we stocked the lakes with a healthy supply of Bream, Crucian Carp and Carp. The fishery flourished with the new additions, and as they grew, attracted more and more anglers to come and catch them.
In January 2010 the decision was made to stock the lakes with 2 brand new, and somewhat controversial species at the time, Barbel and Chub.
The decision was made mostly due to the fact that the dreaded KHV (Koi Herpes Virus) had been spreading around local fisheries and killing off all their stocks of Carp. If the virus made it to our fishery and similarly affected our stocks of Carp it would have been catastrophic. Though Ashmoors other species would should be more than enough to keep people coming, unfortunately the main draw of most fisheries is their Carp. Most people want to catch big powerful fish. It's as simple as that. Our fish supplier, when quizzed about it, suggested adding Barbel. And so the decision was made.
Incidentally, the Chub were added alongside them to help the resident Perch keep the small fry population managed.
Barbel and Chub are traditionally a species found only in flowing streams and rivers, and have evolved to thrive in these conditions, so there was some controversy to adding them to still waters from anglers. These fish, however, had been bred in a fish farm, and had never seen so much as a gravel bed or weir pool, so we felt confident they would be fine.
Over the years the Ashmoor Barbel have thrived!
I personally had dinner and discussion with a VERY famous angler a few years back, who still didn't believe Barbel did well in stillwater fisheries. The ones he had caught from lakes and ponds had been skinny and emaciated, and very rarely grew bigger than 4lb maximum because of the environment they were in. Fisheries with very large Barbel in, he suggested, were stocked in that size, perhaps poached from local rivers and added illegally (to which I feel this is often the case). However, I was able to show that it's not always the case, and the Ashmoor Barbel population proves it.
Never added any bigger than a few ounces, the Barbel at Ashmoor Lakes, though more commonly weighing 2-4lb, at their biggest are now tipping the scales at 6lb and as anglers who now catch them will attest, are strong, healthy, powerful fish. In fact, word has got out now that the Barbel are actually, pound for pound, much better fish to catch than the Ashmoor Carp, and believe it or not, some anglers travel miles and miles across the country to target the Barbel over all the other stocked species!
In fact, and this is very rarely believed by many as Barbel need flowing water and gravel beds to breed in, the Barbel here are so healthy that they are breeding in the still water and silt!
Some anglers are catching small Barbel, below 1lb in weight, and these fish could only have bred in the lake, as a stocking of them hasn't happened in over 8 years.
With so many anglers travelling so far to catch some of these fish from Ashmoor Lakes, it would be a shame to travel all that way and not catch them. So here are the tips to help you:
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| A Typical Ashmoor Barbel |
LOCATION
The Barbel are found throughout all 3 lakes at Ashmoor, so wherever you fish, you will find them. Not only that, but it doesn't even matter which lake you fish on, as surprisingly to some, the lakes are all joined together. Beneath the ground joining Lake 1 to Lake 2, and Lake 2 to Lake 3 are two large pipes, allowing water and fish to pass through between them.
The main reason for this is so that when the lakes are topped up with water from a water holding pond in the summer when the water levels drop, the water flows evenly between them. But it also provides a channel between all the lakes that Barbel regularly use to travel between the lakes to feed in different ponds.
Many a time have anglers caught a notable Barbel in Lake 1, especially a particularly noticeable one eyed fish, only to come down a separate time and catch the same fish in Lake 2.
The Barbel in Ashmoor Lakes tend to hug the margins, often right underneath your feet, and near features such as lilies.
With so many Carp in the lakes the margins around the edges are quite undercut due to the activity of them feeding and rubbing along the edges, and this provides a safer haven for not only them, but also the Barbel, who feed much better with something over their heads, and have a nearby place to hide in..
They can be caught all around the lakes, but I would tend towards swims with good reed growth around the edges. On Lake 1, the far bank and the opposite reed lined bank near the path are good, on Lake 2 the reedy swims along the near side, and the far bank of Lake 3 are all the prime spots, though I do know a couple of premium spots which I will discuss later. It is to be noted that all of these areas are margins close in.
TIME
Barbel can be caught all year round. In still waters I do feel that they do feed differently to rivers, however, and the Ashmoor Barbel are much easier caught in the warmer weather, late Spring through to early Autumn being the best time, with Summer being the best.
Having fished for Ashmoor Barbel many times, I would say that there is no best time of day for them, they are just as likely to feed in the mornings and evenings as in the middle of the day. They do feed better on a warmer day than a cold one.
METHODS
At any time of the year the Barbel can be caught on many methods. Float fishing, feeder fishing and legering being top ways.
With float fishing it is important to be fishing on the bottom, as that's where the Barbel feed. Plumb the depth carefully and either have the bait just sitting on the bottom, or give it an inch or two over depth to ensure the bait is there.
Using a fishmeal based groundbait in a feeder, particularly carefully cast to the margins of the lakes, including the islands, will bring all fish from far and wide, including the Barbel. Casting every 5 to 10 minutes will keep the bait topped up and keep their interest. In warmer months, you'll barely have time to wind a quiver tip rod into position before it curls round into a fish if you are doing it properly, though not always a Barbel, they will come among the mix.
Using a feeder also helps to keep the rig from sinking in the soft silt at the bottom of the lakes. A method perhaps better than using a leger.
The method feeder is a similarly potent way of catching the Barbel, and is actually a better way of fishing for them if casting to distant margins.
With a feeder, the hook length trails out beyond the feeder itself, and this often runs the risk of hooking up into the marginal growth if fishing close. By using a method feeder, particularly a flatbed one, you can cast more confidently to marginal growth, and actually get a little nearer, as the hook length is smaller, and hidden within the groundbait on the feeder itself.
4lb line should be more than enough to target the Barbel, and also give you half a chance of landing most of the Carp you will inevitably catch alongside them. I'd perhaps recommend 4lb line on the hook length, and 5 or 6 on the main line to deal with multiple casts, and less chance of losing an entire rig should a big Carp come and break you up, while giving you the best chance of the Barbel not noticing the line when feeding.
Use a hook that is a suitable size for your bait. I tend to use a barbless hook between a size 16 and 12.
BAIT
The Barbel at Ashmoor Lakes can be caught with pretty much any bait, though it is important to remember with Ashmoor Lakes being a farm venue the lakes get a large quantity of natural bait that is around for the fish to feed on, not only under water, but also flying or blown in from crops in fields nearby, and as Ashmoor is set in surrounding woodland also, plenty of food comes down from the trees as well. Because of this, natural baits tend to be the way of things to catch fish easier.
This tends to be the way of Ashmoor Lakes. Maggot and worm catch many more fish than other baits, also including prawns and bread. Though naturally, using maggot and worm do tend to catch you a mix of species rather than picking out Barbel more specifically.
The Barbel love luncheon meat and pellets too however, and these baits tend to reduce the hassle given by the silver fish feeding on the bait, however a bigger issue then arises by using these baits, as the Carp love these baits too. Throwing in a lot of pellets and meat will bring in the Carp from far and wide, and they will bully the Barbel out the swim, and break the finer line you should be using to catch them. Therefore, it's a balancing act between feeding too much and too little, and fishing too light and too heavy that makes the Ashmoor Barbel a real challenge.
With Ashmoor Lakes being a farm pond, and naturals being the way of things, it does mean that boilies are not a very effective bait for catching Barbel. Being maximum 6lb at present, a big boilie will be left uneaten by the Barbel, but perhaps smaller ones would be taken. Other baits outshine boiles by far though.
The key to all these baits though is to feed little and often, much like a match fisherman, and not toss out large beds of bait.
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| Another Barbel Falls to a Soft Hooker Pellet |
THE BEST WAY TO CATCH
With the methods and baits discussed above, here I'm going to get into the number one method I use to target the Barbel. As I say, I have fished for them so many times that I know them like the back of my hand. Here's what I do to secure and whisker in the back of the net.
The first thing that's most important, as I discussed above, is fish in the margins. I never cast anywhere to catch a Barbel. Choose your swim, and fish a rod length away next to a reed fringed nearside bank, almost under your feet. Always with reeds, as that's where the Barbel will be over all other places.
Float fish, either on rod or pole, though rod tends to be easier if a Carp grabs the bait instead of a Barbel, and literally place the rig and float, right below the tip for accuracy, as close to the reeds as you dare. The closer the better. Fishing as much as 6" away I find reduces your chance of catching them greatly.
Make sure the rig has been plumbed to depth and the bait is on the bottom.
Don't add any bait at all to begin with. Any bait added brings in the Carp. The Barbel have much more sensitive barbules than Carp and will generally find a single hookbait first. In this way you can often pick up one or two bonus Barbel right off the bat.
For hookbait, it's true that maggot and worm and meat are all taken readily by them, but the premium hookbait on a size 16 hook is a single soft hooker pellet, a nice and oily one.
When adding bait after the first few fish with no loose feed fed (hopefully one of the fish at least being a Barbel) don't add too much. Adding too much bait will bring in hordes of Carp, and you'll be catching them all day long. Feed little and often, maybe even half a dozen similarly sized pellets to the ones on the hook every now and then.
A good float rod that can handle the odd Carp is best. I'd love to use a light match rod, but the Carp can be too brutish.
As promised earlier, I will let you into my favourite Barbel swims, though a little reluctantly as I'm sure they will all be taken from here on in. Those Barbel do love those reedy margins over all others, but if you can sit in a swim next to one of the pipes that join up the lakes, you will be in the prime spots for the Barbel. The Barbel love to swim from lake to lake through the pipes, but more than anything, they love to live in the pipes!
On Lake 1 the pipe leads to Lake 2 in 'Carp Corner', the corner that pokes out on the top left of the lake that stops it from being a square. The pipe is on the opposite bank to the one you sit on, you can see an indented bump in the reeds. On Lake 2, the pipe comes opposite this in another noticeable bump in the corner, along the bank following where the bird scarer banger points.
The pipe from Lake 2 into Lake 3 is to the left of the life ring hidden in the reeds,and also pops out into Lake 3 directly behind it. Again, if you look for it, you can see where it goes through, though it's less obvious and a little harder to locate.
You'll need to be careful when you hook one that it doesn't run straight back into the pipe though.
You will still catch all of the species that swim in Ashmoor Lakes by doing this. There is no guaranteed method to only catch Barbel, but this way gives you the best chances of catching them than any other.
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| 4lb of Hard Fighting Fish |
