How would YOU fish the River Severn?

[Zerkalo]

Just went and had a look at the River Severn at Arley and thinking about how I'm finally going to fish it.

Here's the stretch below.




I'm thinking pellet, meat and hemp are going to be best for the Barbel but how would you approach it and with what rig?

What sort of feeder and what weight or would PVA bags be better? What strength line and hook size? There's a lot to think about, lots of questions before I finally fish it...

 

[Arry]

2lb rod, 12lb line, 3oz lead or feeder, plenty of hemp and pellets, large pellet or boilie on a size 8 or 6... feeder....scalded pellet and meaty groundbait same hookbait... match lead or feeder to the flow... if its tanking through then fish the magins and slacks

 

[Zerkalo]

Reckon I'm going to buy a barbel rod specifically for it before I buy an Acolyte Plus. Something that can handle the 3oz lead needed anyway.

 

[Silverfisher]

Given that the forecast is good for the next week or so I didn’t probably give it a few days to drop a bit, be a lot easier for your first time. Could be tough fishing it for the first time in its current state.

I fished it in decent conditions for the first time last September and a simple running feeder with maggots and pellets and maggots on the hook brought a barbel and plenty of Dace and the odd roach before a swap to stick float and maggot brought more Dace and a big Chub. Based on that if you just want to get a feel for it I’d probably fish a general feeder rod with maggot feeder and a barbel rod with pellets and possibly meat then maybe have a float rod set up to have a few trots once you’ve built up a bed of bait. If you are all out on barbel then two rods one with pellet one with meat is probably the way to go.

 

[Zerkalo]

It's a beast. It's going to swallow my money over the next year as I want a nice 15ft rod to stick float it too.

Think it will be just the one Barbel rod for this season. Any suggestions for a good Barbel rod/reel combo while I'm at it?

 

[Silverfisher]

You’ll get a lot of suggestions from that question for sure! Not really my area of expertise but I understand the greys prodigy range seems to be the main brand for that type of rod followed by korum so I’d probably look at those. The acolyte plus that you were thinking of getting would handle it fine in normal conditions though.

 

[Zerkalo]

Korum - Barbel Rod

Customised to suit the needs of the modern big-fish river angler. Complete with white tips for bite detection, tough SIC lined rod guides and slim cork handles. These functional tools are perfect for chasing big barbel. All rods feature an anti-frap ti

www.total-fishing-tackle.com

Looking to get one of these at 12ft and 1.75lb I think. Nice price anyway and would probably be good for the Weirpool on the Stour.

Then I could get something more suitable for Bream and Skimmers than the Acolyte Plus.

 

[Silverfisher]

Sounds a plan. Worth looking on the sale page on bobco as they are currently selling off the Shakespeare agility 2 range of float and feeder rods at really good prices, £100-£130 rods going for £50-£80.

 

[Zerkalo]

Winters going to be my buying time really as I work more and fish less.

Severn is quite daunting to me as looks so big! Can see why big pellets and boilies would work there. Can't wait to fish it properly when I eventually do.

 

[bluemack]

Winters going to be my buying time really as I work more and fish less.

Severn is quite daunting to me as looks so big! Can see why big pellets and boilies would work there. Can't wait to fish it properly when I eventually do.

You,ll find small 10ml pellets or small (10ml again) pieces of meat will work equally as well.Also maggot feeder works well but take plenty of them!!!
For tackle,i,m more than happy to use a heavy feeder rod,i use the fox challenger and a stradic 4000 anything
similar should be o.k, for terminal gear i find a 7lb( or thereabouts is ample if theirs not too many snags),a simple feeder rig
and a size 12 or 14 Drennan specialist completes the set up.
Bear in mind cromwell hole which is to the right of your photo is very deep and VERY snaggy and from the car park it,s mostly B.A.A.

 

[Zerkalo]

I parked in the car park and walked up the B.A.A. stretch and most pegs did look quite snaggy on that side with loads of sunken trees next to most fishable looking pegs.

Tempted to fish it anyway with the tackle I've got and just try a maggot feeder with maggots on the hook and see what I get. Next year I'll be more ready

 

[tunna]

Zerkalo Have a read of this by Chris - Northants Lad Barbel Fishing Starting Out

 

[bluemack]

I parked in the car park and walked up the B.A.A. stretch and most pegs did look quite snaggy on that side with loads of sunken trees next to most fishable looking pegs.

Tempted to fish it anyway with the tackle I've got and just try a maggot feeder with maggots on the hook and see what I get. Next year I'll be more ready

Most of the stretch is,nt as bad as it looks.
I went last season or the season before and could,nt get a bite on 10lb line and size 8 hook so scaled right down to a 4lb line and 14 hook
and had a run of 9 barbel to 8lb odd,and did,nt snag up once,so take your time and you,ll get em out mate.

 

[Silverfisher]

Yeah I don’t fish heavy on such rivers unless it’s particularly snaggy, 6lb mainline and size 14 to 5lb hooklength as been fine, gone down to size 16 to 4lb hooklengths at times.

 

[Northantslad]

The guide I did may help you, any specific questions beyond that, happy to help. With water on and colour like that in the photo, I would aim for that lovely crease created by the tree if the flow is right to left.

 

[Zerkalo]

Flow is right to left I think in the bottom pic. Will give your guide a good read this evening.

Shame I'm thinking it's almost Autumn now and conditions could be a lot worse quite quickly. Might be a thing to prepare for for next season for me now. Shame really as I get excited now I live so close to it.

 

[Northantslad]

If you get sorted and ready then don't panic, Autumn is prime time, water like that in the pictures is prime time regardless of the time of year.

 

[frankg]

Yeah I don’t fish heavy on such rivers unless it’s particularly snaggy, 6lb mainline and size 14 to 5lb hooklength as been fine, gone down to size 16 to 4lb hooklengths at times.

Same here SF.....6lb line for me. I've used 8lb on possibly a couple of occasions but 6lb is plenty strong enough to land most fish on the right rod.

 

[Zerkalo]

I use 10lb to 7lb a lot on a small river for Chub and as I've said elsewhere, I think that's overdoing it but I don't lose fish. I'd be tempted to use the same on the Severn and just hope the Browning Club Feeder rod i'm temporarily using holds out if I hit a whiskers. It will do for the first few sessions anyway,

I'm usually saying I fish light like that on commercials for carp. We'll see anyway. If I head down later this week I'll let you all know what I did how I get on.

 

[Silverfisher]

10lb plus is sea fishing tackle for me, my coarse reels are spooled with 3lb, 4lb, 6lb and 8lb and I have hook lengths ranging from 2lb to 6lb.