Welcome Dave.
We have a healthy section for the Trent in the where fished today section, so feel free to take part in there, along with the regulars who do, bad and good days alike, those local to the river and not so.
In relation to the op, i read it and immediately had two thoughts.
1. Measuring sessions comes back to expectation level and what you anticipate catching over a session or a season.
2. I would also estimate my Trent experience to be getting on for 15 years now, but, and in keeping with my guide that i write largely for the say once a month Barbel angler and perhaps non local angler such as myself, i would never attempt to put someone right, who due to their location and thus higher number of visits a season, must by that experience be more knowledgeable than me, about the river particularly, so please don't think i pretend to know more than any local angler. If a local angler says the form is poor, then the form is poor, but as mentioned above, match results and catches, one of the sources of info utilized by Barbel anglers, could suggest otherwise.
Coming back to some of those points and others interestingly, i raise in my guide, my personal target over the last 3 seasons has been to catch on more sessions than i blank on, i have achieved this in the last two seasons and my start to this season is one blank, one catch (3 Barbel) so far. So coming back to targets based on fair expectations, i am meeting mine at present and improving each year too, whilst also appreciating that blanks are part and parcel of Barbel fishing, especially for those who are unable to pop out the back door and be on the river in 20 minutes when its right. This is where the expectation levels perhaps get a bit cloudy and differ, whilst of course i don't know everyone's personal dedication levels. If i can put my finger on any single factor, 'when its right' does seem to be less and less, but fish, assuming they need to eat anglers bait, will adapt to this and not always only at night, which in my opinion isn't always the case everywhere and is too easy to assume and blame for a decline in daytime catches. Water clarity and light levels i do feel are the two biggest factors, and when the former is a problem for what seems like longer and longer each year, then the factoring in of light levels comes quickly into the equation, balanced of course by the river coming on leaps and bounds in terms of cleanliness compared with years gone by. If anything, and i would appreciate anyone putting me right me on this if i have it wrong, as this is guess work, but to factor in these now common conditions, means to exploit to the sometimes very short periods in a day session when barbel will have a go, and i'm wondering if these short sessions of activity have got shorter over the years perhaps in daytime? Again, i don't know the expectations of other anglers, but for me, to keep barbel coming without spooking them after catching one, two or may be 3 is a red letter day and helped massively by the barbels mood on such days, as much as it is influenced by their unwillingness on good many a day.
I have considered recently two observations, one the clear roach boom, that may occur at the expense of Barbel (for one species to thrive, it does in nature have to be at the expense of another) and the other that bream will no longer just be found in the widest, slowest and deepest part of the river, they have learn't to have to exploit the bait that goes into sections of rivers that were traditionally barbel pegs. It may be fair to suggest though, i don't know, but given where species feed, perhaps Dace and may be chub might dwindle to accommodate the roach, rather than Barbel.
I found the comments above regarding bait interesting and adopting a more match style approach and with tackle also (echo the cautionary note made too though on this), would make sense from the outset and is possibly great advice, not for me however. My reasoning being three fold. Firstly i found 3 years or so back, that pellet was outscoring the more traditional approach of maggot/castor/hemp, regardless of river conditions or time of year, scaling down of course on amounts and sizes accordingly though with conditions. This does however lead onto the second reason i don't go for the natural bait option anymore at all and with roach taking 8mm pellets confidently at times, whilst they are beautiful fish, it simply causes too much swim disturbance and nor (using non tip rods) do i wish to miss a roach take and have it tethered in the swim until i do realize its there, for the fishes sake, but again and obviously for what it will do to the keenesss of any near by barbel. Thirdly, with these fish constantly taking your bait, your casting and thus feed rate (for targeting barbel) is now being dictated by those fish and not you or the barbel. Again, coming back to another point made in my guide, i fully agree that it can benefit everyone, if they don't view barbel as carp, my rods usually are 1.75lb tc, but if needing to get across a river, then it does need to be upped, but was a point made to emphasise that barbel fishing isn't like bagging on carp and not to expect it or expect the barbel to always want bait piling in, in an era where many barbel anglers are converted from carp fishing and more recently where many have taken up/re-taken up fishing, with memberships, including N&D going to full levels.
As i say, the above is just my thoughts and isn't intended to educate anyone who will know loads more than i do, especially any angler who can make the natural baits produce Barbel when required, which yes, may be a way forwards, again, it comes back to individuals expectation levels, which at present i am happy with my catches, it may be that i don't know anything else on which to base my expectations, a blank is accepted as long as it doesn't last a season, one fish a session i am happy, two very, more than that then brilliant.
Probably gathered i would talk barbel all day Dave, hope i haven't come across as putting you right, not sure i could, but wanted to give you my slant and perspective.
